Ranji Final- AM I A JOKE TO YOU?? It is no secret at this point that BCCI is one of the most richest and most powerful cricket boards in world cricket. With the revenues it brings in on a yearly basis, it is one of the most profitable boards in the world, which is what has enabled Indian cricket to develop on such a massive level from a holistic point of view.
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Hence it was a massive surprise to see that in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh, there were no signs of the Decision Review System, or the DRS for the game, or even the tournament. Surely there has to be a mistake. No DRS for arguably the most important domestic game of the season ?.
When contacted for the reason, the Bcci gave a rather bizarre one at that, citing that the process of having DRS is a very costly one. A BCCI source put his statement forward saying, “We trust our umpires. It is a very expensive exercise to use the DRS. The costs shoot up. How does it matter if there is no DRS in the finals?. It is time we trusted the umpires. India’s two best umpires (KN Ananthapadmanabhan and Virender Sharma) are officiating in this game. And what is the end result?. If we use it in the final, we will have to use it in the league stage as well”.
The BCCI Wouldn’t Do This If It Wasn’t The IPL Final Instead Of The Ranji Final, Now Would It?
Now, this statement makes sense if it was made by a board that is not as wealthy and rich. But coming from the BCCI, which has just laughed its way to the bank on the back of a record amount acquired for the media rights of the IPL to the cost of close to 48,000 crores, it surely is laughable. Especially considering that the IPL will have the DRS for all its matches. So what is the issue in having the same set-up for the most important red-ball tournament in the Domestic circuit?. It will surely benefit the players and well as the officials in what is a key game or a key situation, where the outcome of the game depends on one key decision.
While the BCCI did kind of fiddle with the idea of a limited DRS, in the semis and the finals of the 2019-20 season, it did not have the ultra edge, and Hawk-eye, which are two key elements of the DRS. A source said that “the wiring and derigging of the equipment will be costly. Hawk-eye needs extra cameras and the Ranji is played with limited equipment. You cannot have DRS which is half-baked”.
