Ranji Trophy Final: BCCI officials miss presentation ceremony

Even though Board CEO Rahul Johri was present at the Holkar Stadium in the afternoon, he left for Mumbai a while after lunch; C.K. Khanna, the acting president, was to reach on Tuesday but an early result led to his absence.

Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal received the trophy from Sanjay Jagdale, former BCCI secretary.

If Vidarbha’s meteoric rise remained the major highlight of the Ranji Trophy this season, the final also left the Board of Control for India (BCCI) red-faced as none of its senior officials were present to give away the trophy to the winning side.

It has always been a tradition that the Ranji Trophy title— the most coveted in the domestic cricket circuit — would be handed over to the winning side by the Board chief or some of the top office-bearers.

But on Monday, Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal was handed over the trophy by former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, a seasoned administrator, and MPCA secretary Milind Kanmadikar.

However, a poor planning by the BCCI led to such an embarrassment. As per the plan, the Board’s acting president, C. K. Khanna, was to reach Indore late on Monday night to be present for the prize distribution ceremony on Tuesday — the final day of the match. But with Delhi folding up meekly, the match finished a day early, leading to Khanna’s absence.

Even though Board CEO Rahul Johri was present at the Holkar Stadium in the afternoon, he left for Mumbai a while after lunch. Johri had even confirmed to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) — the host association — that Khanna would be present for the ceremony on Tuesday. But an early result changed plans. "Khanna ji has left from Delhi but he won't be able to reach the ground. He must be in the flight now," Kanmadikar told Sportstar.