Recently retired Bengal cricketer Manoj Tiwary has been fined 20% of his match fee for criticising the Ranji Trophy. On February 10, Tiwary expressed his concerns on X (formerly Twitter) about the way the tournament was being played and suggested that it should be scrapped from the calendar starting from the next season. He stated that there were many issues with the tournament. everal issues need to be addressed to preserve the prestige and rich history of this tournament. Its charm and importance are diminishing, which is frustrating.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has requested that centrally contracted and India A players participate in Ranji Trophy matches if they wish to play for the country. Following Ishan Kishan's refusal to comply with these instructions and missing the entire red-ball domestic season, Jay Shah wrote a letter to the players.
During his felicitation at the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club on Monday, he stated that his Twitter remark prompted the BCCI to instruct players to participate in the Ranji Trophy. The board is worried that prominent players are prioritising the IPL over Ranji Trophy games.
The younger players have a strong inclination towards the Indian Premier League. Those who are not part of the IPL tend to go to Dubai or other places. Unfortunately, this has led to a decrease in the importance of the Ranji Trophy. While the IPL is undoubtedly a significant tournament, Shah urged the BCCI president and secretary to increase the significance of the Ranji Trophy.
Tiwary also commented on the young batters' aggressive approach to batting, stating that they do not want to spend much time at the crease as Bazball's approach appears more attractive. I dislike this approach to playing cricket because it prioritises winning and losing over valuing the preservation of the game.
The focus on securing IPL contracts by impressing franchises has led to a situation where the essence of Ranji has been lost. The young players cannot be blamed for this.