To Iron Out Home Advantage, Ranji Trophy Matches in Neutral Venues

To ensure fair competition, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has approved the hosting of Ranji Trophy matches in neutral venues. This was one of the many decisions taken by the working committee in Dharamsala.

Apart from clearing the stage for hosting a mini-IPL in an overseas venue from September, the BCCI has decided to allocate a separate marketing budget for the promotion of Test cricket. India will be playing 13 Tests at home in the 2016-17 season.

To host Ranji matches in neutral venues was a recommendation made the BCCI's technical committee.

In May this year, the technical committee wanted to "rule out the issues related to preparing specific wickets for home teams, as well as to expose players to play in different conditions."  

Last season, several pitches came under scrutiny after Ranji Trophy matches ended in two days.

Other major decisions taken at the working committee were:

- An Under-19 cricketer can represent India only once in the ICC Under 19 World Cup.

- Any player entering the system at Under 19 stage can play only two seasons of Under 19 cricket

- A new T20 league will start in place of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. All state teams will play a league in their respective zones. The top teams from the five zones will qualify for the championship finals

- BCCI will start annual awards for state associations in the following categories: Best Website, Best Facebook page, Best Twitter Handle, Best Instagram, Best Media Facility, Best Media Operations. This will encourage state associations to be more transparent and professional.