ranji trophy

BCCI forms three-member committee after Bengaluru stampede, guidelines for victory celebrations to be issued after…

Danijones4 hours ago06 mins

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden IPL celebration win was marred by the loss of 11 lives, which happened due to the stampede during the victory celebrations that occurred outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Thirty-three people were also left injured, and taking notice of this incident, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to constitute a three-member committee to formulate comprehensive guidelines aimed at preventing such occurrences in the future. BCCI forms a three-member committee after the Bengaluru stampede, with guidelines for victory celebrations to be issued after 15 days. (HT_PRINT) The three-member committee comprises BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, vice-president Rajeev Shukla, and treasurer Prabhtej Bhatia. Saikia will chair this committee. The guidelines for victory celebrations will be formulated within the next 15 days. This decision was taken during the board’s Apex Council Meeting on Saturday. “The Apex Council expressed its profound grief over the tragic incidents in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, which led to the unfortunate loss of innocent lives,” the BCCI said in an official release. “The committee will formulate the guidelines within 15 days,” the statement added. RCB had previously won the IPL 2025 edition after beating Punjab Kings in the final by six runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After winning the T20 tournament, Virat Kohli on air announced that the franchise would hold victory celebrations in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru Police denied the permission for the open-bus parade. However, the team was first felicitated at the Vidhana Soudha by Karnataka Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister. As soon as the team reached the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, news of a stampede broke out, which killed 11 RCB fans. Also Read: BCCI to take action after 11 killed in RCB IPL celebration stampede; decision likely on… RCB are receiving a lot of flak for holding victory celebrations in a hurry. RCB marketing and revenue head Nikhil Sosale was also arrested but days later, he was given interim bail. However, he was asked to submit his passport and not travel overseas. Venues for India versus New Zealand white-ball series The Board has also announced venues for the limited-overs series between India and New Zealand, beginning January 11, 2026. The three ODIs will be played in Baroda, Rajkot and Indore. The five T20Is will be played in Nagpur, Raipur, Guwahati, Vizag and Trivandrum. The fifth and final T20I will be played on January 31, 2026. When will the domestic season begin? The BCCI have also confirmed that the 2025–26 domestic will begin with the Duleep Trophy on August 28 and conclude with the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy. The Ranji Trophy would be played in two phases. The Elite Phase 1 will begin on October 15 and will run up to November 19. The Phase 2 will run from January 22, 2026 to February 1. The knockouts will begin on February 6 while the final will be played from February 28. Plate Phase 1 will begin on October 15 and run until November 19. The knockouts will begin on January 22, and the final will be played on January 26. The Duleep Trophy and Senior Women’s Challenger tournaments will now be contested between six zonal teams selected by zonal selectors. Plate Group restructuring has been introduced across age categories. For limited-overs tournaments, the bottom 6 teams (based on the previous season’s rankings) will be placed in the Plate Group. The BCCI has also introduced the relegation and promotion system. From now on, only one team will be promoted and relegated in each Senior Men’s competition. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Senior Women’s T20 Trophy will now include a Super League stage instead of a traditional knockout. Major tournaments, such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Senior Women’s One Day Trophy, and Men’s U23 State A Trophy, will follow a 4 Elite Groups + 1 Plate Group model. Most junior and women’s tournaments (U16, U19, U23) have moved to a 5 Elite + 1 Plate group structure.

IND vs ENG: KL Rahul has special message to Karun Nair ahead of England series | Cricket News

Danijones2 days ago05 mins

Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has expressed strong support for his former Karnataka teammate Karun Nair, who has made a comeback to the Indian Test cricket squad after an eight-year gap. Nair, who previously scored a triple century against England in 2016, earned his recall following impressive performances in domestic cricket and county cricket in England. Karun Nair’s return to the national team comes after a successful stint with Northampton in the 2024 County Championship Division Two, where he scored 487 runs in 11 innings. His recent form includes a double century (204) for India A against England Lions in an unofficial Test match. The 33-year-old Nair demonstrated exceptional form in domestic cricket last season, accumulating nine centuries across different formats. His Ranji Trophy campaign yielded 863 runs in 9 matches at an average of 53.93, including four centuries and two half-centuries. Gautam Gambhir sends stern message after Bengaluru tragedy Poll Do you think Karun Nair’s comeback will benefit the Indian Test team? In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Nair maintained his impressive run-scoring ability, amassing 779 runs in eight innings at an average of 389.50, including five centuries. His first-class cricket record shows 8470 runs in 186 innings at an average of 49.82, with 24 centuries and 36 half-centuries. “I’ve known him for a very long time and the months that he spent here in the UK playing cricket and how hard and how lonely it was and for him to be able to do all of that and come back into the Indian team,” KL Rahul said in a video posted by BCCI. “I think it’s special for him, for his family, and for friends like us who’ve seen his journey. So, like I said very inspiring as well and hopefully his experience and his learnings from playing county cricket here will hold him in good stead when he plays the Test matches here,” Rahul added. Quiz: Who’s that IPL player? Nair’s previous stint with the Indian Test team lasted from November 2016 to March 2017, during which he scored 374 runs in seven innings. His career highlight came when he became only the second Indian batsman after Virender Sehwag to score a triple century in Test cricket, achieving the feat with an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai in December 2016. “Feels really special. Very grateful and very fortunate to be able to get this opportunity again and really looking forward and excited to grab this opportunity with both hands,” Nair said in response to his selection. “Not sure actually! I think I’ll have to experience that feeling myself and, you know, just go out there and feel it for myself. And I’m sure there’ll be a lot of feelings, ones that I can’t express right now and It’ll be a special feeling,” Nair added when asked about his emotions regarding the comeback. The duo of Rahul and Nair share a long history, having played age-group cricket together and recently representing Delhi Capitals in the 2025 IPL season. Nair’s selection for the upcoming five-match Test series against England comes with the advantage of his recent experience in English conditions through county cricket.