A scheduling mess by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the start of the domestic season could leave the Rest of India with a depleted squad for its prestigious Irani Cup clash against Ranji Trophy champion Jammu & Kashmir.
As per the convention followed since the pandemic, the Irani Cup is scheduled from October 1 to 5 and will be played in Srinagar, the home of Jammu & Kashmir. However, the fixture clashes with the second of the two first-class games to be held in Puducherry between India A and Australia A, scheduled from September 29 to October 2.
The Rest of India squad has traditionally been the most star-studded First-Class unit after India’s Test side. The clash of the two high-profile fixtures, though, will leave the national selection committee with a difficult choice: field a full-strength ‘A’ squad against Australia A or prioritise the Irani Cup as the premier domestic fixture.
The selectors could also attempt a balancing act by splitting the prominent players between the two fixtures and supplementing both squads with performers from the domestic season.
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An insider at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, which is closely involved in planning the A-tour itinerary along with the board’s cricket operations wing, said the situation could easily have been avoided had the three one-dayers against Australia A been scheduled between the two four-day games.
“But who cares for domestic cricket?” he said, requesting anonymity.
The clash, however, could provide an opportunity for a larger pool of players to make a case at the higher level. Sandeep Patil, the 1983 World Cup champion and now a mentor with Mumbai’s Ranji team, preferred to look at that aspect. “I would look at the positive side of it and say that instead of 11 or 12, double the number of players will get an opportunity to make a case to the national selectors with a strong show,” Patil said.
“Due to such a tight calendar, such clashes have become a part of the calendar. I won’t even term it unfortunate since it’s not just India; all the major cricket nations are facing the same dilemma,” he said.
Published on Aug 28, 2026
