Think cricket and images that pop up are about Team India and IPL, the big ticket properties worth billions. The two sit atop the value chain that attracts constant media attention and occupies the mind space of fans. But there exists an alternate world of domestic cricket that is less glamorous but is critical for the health of the game.
BCCI’s domestic cricket calendar for this season promises to be the biggest and busiest. Covid wiped out 2020-21 and the
Think cricket and images that pop up are about Team India and IPL, the big ticket properties worth billions. The two sit atop the value chain that attracts constant media attention and occupies the mind space of fans. But there exists an alternate world of domestic cricket that is less glamorous but is critical for the health of the game.
BCCI’s domestic cricket calendar for this season promises to be the biggest and busiest. Covid wiped out 2020-21 and the curtailed 2021-22 was like a film trailer, but 2022-23 will be the blockbuster year.
Facts provide context: India’s domestic season starts this month with Duleep Trophy (revived after a break). Matches stretch till May when IPL concludes—nine months of non-stop cricket across age groups (U14/16/19/23/seniors) and formats (T20, 50 overs and days cricket) for men and women. India has 38 first-class teams compared to 18 in England, and Australia and Pakistan with six each. The women’s IPL is not listed but the crowded calendar introduces a U16 tournament for girls.
These stats don’t convey the full significance of domestic cricket—much more important than cold numbers is the fact that players’ careers are involved, and their hopes and dreams. Of the millions of kids who play cricket, barely a few thousands get to play BCCI tournaments. A very tiny number rises to the top.
Away from the glittering world of internationals, domestic cricket is a struggle. Senior players are already in training mode because Mushtaq Ali Trophy, an audition for the riches of IPL, is around the corner. Presently they are focussed on fitness and fielding; work on skills must wait as turf wickets are not ready because of the monsoon.
Players look ahead to months of commitment knowing cricket is ultimately a game of chance. For the average player first-class cricket is a dangerous roll of the dice. He knows there is no financial security and he could fail and waste important years of life. The odds are stacked against him. Cricket is extremely competitive and failure, not success, is the norm, but cricket’s seductive appeal draws him in.
While there is a glut of players, cricket faces severe shortage in specialised roles. State teams require large support staff because each team has a head coach who is assisted by a batting/bowling/fielding coach and fitness trainers, strength and conditioning experts, masseurs and others. It is not easy to find enough quality people to fill the slots.
The problem is most acute for coaches because not many good candidates are around. From last season, Ranji champions Madhya Pradesh’s Chandrakant Pandit has moved to KKR and Bengal’s Arun Lal has decided he has had enough. The other high profile coaches are Amol Muzumdar (Mumbai), Yere Goud (Karnataka), L Balaji (Tamil Nadu), Surender Bhave (Punjab), Tinu Yohanan (Kerala). Uttar Pradesh and Delhi are yet to name coaches. Because of supply side shortages, the market value of top names is in the range of ₹40 to 50 lakh for the season.
A bigger problem is finding good selectors, mainly because of stringent eligibility conditions. Selectors must have integrity and judgement to spot talent, also experience at first-class level and should have retired five years ago. There is a tenure limit that caps the number of years one can stay a selector. Selection traditionally is a honourary job though recently some states have started making token payments.
Because of conflict of interest issues coaches and selectors must not be associated with any coaching academy. This practically rules out everyone eligible but clever people have found a way around this by ‘resigning’ from their posts before the start of the season.
For BCCI, executing the domestic calendar is a huge logistics challenge which it meets with terrific efficiency. Pre season, states have to register players on a central computerised platform and after scrutiny BCCI announces an approved list. Before the toss for each game this is passed to the umpires and match referees to ensure only eligible players take the field. Matches at every levels are filmed and have live ’ball to ball’ updates linked to the BCCI website through scorers using the latest iPads.
Match Referees are retired players selected through a rigorous process and tasked to ensure that umpiring is up to scratch and players don’t violate the spirit of cricket. Lately, their role has been expanded to curb unruly player behaviour by imposing fines and suspensions. Referees also act as talent spotters and are required to notify selectors when they see someone special.
Despite the odd glitch of poor umpiring or a dodgy track, domestic cricket works wonderfully from an operations perspective. It is a huge, complex exercise where so much can go wrong but the system somehow functions and different elements fall into place.
In the end, India’s domestic cricket is not just about players but faceless ground staff, and anti-doping, anti-corruption and medical staff who work behind the scenes.
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