Domestic Calendar: BCCI plans to start Ranji season in December; no Irani, Duleep Trophy this year
New Delhi: The BCCI plans to kick-start its 2021-22 domestic season in September this year with the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament and has also allocated a three-month window to the Ranji Trophy from December after the marquee event had to be cancelled last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy and Irani Cup are not a part of the tentative calendar prepared by the cricket operations team. Apart from this, five women's competitions have also been dropped from the roster.
PTI has accessed the tentative domestic calendar prepared and discussed at the Apex Council meeting held on Friday.
The 2020-21 season was a severely truncated one with only the National T20 (Mushtaq Ali) and ODI (Vijay Hazare Trophy) championships being held in the wake of pandemic. For women, only the National One-Day meet was organised.
Amid a second wave of COVID-19 cases across India, the BCCI is still hopeful of conducting the domestic season across age-groups in men and women's categories after a curtailed last season.
With India playing the T20 World Cup in October and the mega IPL auctions in the offing next year, it is understood that all stakeholders want to start off with two white ball tournaments -- Mushtaq Ali T20 between "mid-September to October" followed by the Vijay Hazare Trophy in November.
Ranji Trophy, India's premier tournament which was cancelled for the first time in 87 years in 2020, has been planned between December and March in the upcoming season.
The BCCI has also slotted the U-23 tournaments for men and women along with the U-19 events which weren't held during the last season.
The performances in the U-19 One Day Challenger tournament along with Cooch Behar Trophy (days format) and Vinoo Mankad trophy (one day) will help in selection of India colts team for ICC U-19 World Cup next year.
Women's T20 as well as ODI Challenger Trophy will not be played along with these events' under-23 versions. The under-19 women's T20 Challenger Trophy will also not be played.
Complete Calendars (Tentative)
Men
Senior Men
=======
Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20) (Mid Sept-Oct, '21)
Vijay Hazare Trophy (One Day) (November, '21)
Ranji Trophy (First-class) (Dec '21-Mar '22)
U-23 Men
======
National U-23 One Day (Mid Oct-Nov, '21)
CK Nayudu Trophy (days format) (Dec, '21-March '22)
Boys' U-19
=======
Vinoo Mankad (One Day) (October, '21)
U-19 One Day Challenger (November, '21)
Cooch Behar (Multi Day) (Nov '21-Jan '22)
Boys' U-16
=======
Vijay Merchant Trophy (Multi Day) (October -December, '21)
Senior Women
=========
Senior Women's T20 League (October, '21)
Senior Women's One Day league (November, '21)
U-23 Women
========
Women's U-23 T20 League (December, '21)
Women's U-23 One Day League (January, '22)
U-19 Girls
=======
U-19 T20 League (January, '22)
U-19 One Day League (last week of March, '22)
Inter Zonal University Cricket
Vizzy Tropy (Men)
(Aprl, 2022).
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Poles vote for new president as security concerns loom large
Warsaw (AP): Poles are voting Sunday in a presidential election at a time of heightened security concerns stemming from the ongoing war in neighbouring Ukraine and growing worry that the US commitment to Europe's security could be weakening under President Donald Trump.
The top two front-runners are Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, a liberal allied with Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian with no prior political experience who is supported by the national conservative Law and Justice party.
Recent opinion polls show Trzaskowski with around 30% support and Nawrocki in the mid-20s. A second round between the two is widely expected to take place on June 1.
The election is also a test of the strength of other forces, including the far right.
Slawomir Mentzen, a hard-right candidate who blends populist MAGA rhetoric with libertarian economics and a critical stance toward the European Union, has been polling in third place.
Ten other candidates are also on the ballot. With such a crowded field and a requirement that a candidate receive more than 50% of the vote to win outright, a second round seemed all but inevitable.
Polling stations open at 7 am (0500GMT) and close at 9 pm (1900GMT). Exit polls will be released when voting ends, with results expected by Tuesday, possibly Monday.
Polish authorities have reported attempts at foreign interference during the campaign, including denial-of-service attacks targeting parties in Tusk's coalition on Friday and allegations by a state research institute that political ads on Facebook were funded from abroad.
Although Poland's prime minister and parliament hold primary authority over domestic policy, the presidency carries substantial power. The president serves as commander of the armed forces, plays a role in foreign and security policy, and can veto legislation.
The conservative outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, has repeatedly used that power over more than the past year to hamper Tusk's agenda, for example blocking ambassadorial nominals and vetoing laws, many aimed at reversing judicial and media changes made during Law and Justice's time in power from 201 to late 2023.
A Trzaskowski victory could be expected to end such a standoff. He has pledged to support reforms to the courts and public media, both of which critics say were politicized under Law and Justice.
Nawrocki, who leads a state historical institute, has positioned himself as a defender of conservative values and national sovereignty.
