BCCI delays start of domestic season in some centres till September 30 due to inclement weather

As per the original schedule, the tournaments were scheduled to begin on Tuesday, but with venues witnessing heavy rain, the Board has decided to postpone those matches to September 30.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has delayed the start of the domestic season.

Inclement weather has forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to reschedule some matches of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy and U-19 women's limited overs tournament by a couple of days.

As per the original schedule, the tournaments were scheduled to begin on Tuesday, but with venues - Visakhapatnam, Surat, Rajkot, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Nagpur and Indore - witnessing heavy rain, the Board has decided to postpone those matches to September 30.

However, the fixtures will go as per schedule in New Delhi, Mohali, Jaipur, Ranchi and Ahmedabad.

With the southern and eastern parts of the country witnessing heavy rain due to cyclone Gulab, the BCCI General Manager, Game Development, Dhiraj Malhotra wrote to state associations on Monday informing them about the decision to reschedule the fixtures. "Owing to the incessant rain and the cyclone alert issued by MET, the BCCI is compelled to postpone the start of the group stage from 28.09.2021 to 30.09.2021," Malhotra wrote.

"Following this change in schedule, there will be no rest days and all matches will be played back-to-back from September 30 to October 4. There will be no change to the knockout stage and venues," Malhotra wrote in the email - which this publication has seen.

"With some centres witnessing inclement weather, the Board thought it would be best to postpone the games by a couple of days. There were rest days in between and now, they have been done away with to ensure that the group stage is completed," one of the state unit officials said.

Hyderabad Cricket Association will be hosting the U-19 boys Elite D group matches, while Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association will be playing host to the U-19 Elite E matches in Indore.

Andhra Cricket Association will be hosting Under-19 Girls One Day Elite C matches in Visakhapatnam, while Odisha Cricket Association will host U-19 girls matches in Bhubaneshwar.

Gujarat Cricket Association hosting Under-19 girls Elite D matches in Surat, Saurashtra Cricket Association hosting U-19 girls Elite A matches in Rajkot and Vidarbha Cricket Association hosting U-19 Girls Elite B matches in Nagpur.