Nine players can constitute a team in the eventuality of a medical emergency in Ranji Trophy this season, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced in a list of guidelines formulated in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country. The norm, though, is applicable only after a match has begun and the team is exhausted of like-for-like replacements.
The board is taking all precautions to conduct the premier first-class tournament that begins on February 17 after a two-year pandemic-induced layoff. “Due to COVID outbreak within a team after the start of the match, if the team has a minimum of nine players available to take the field (after utilising all the replacements), then the match will continue,” the board stated in a circular issued on Tuesday.
The board has not stopped their planning at that. In case a team is unable to field even nine players after the match has started, it has laid down a set of parameters to decide the game’s outcome. “In the league stage, points will be awarded to the teams based on points table. During knockout games, qualification for the next round will be determined by a higher run quotient or spin of the coin.” the circular explained.
The match referee would decide on a team’s request for a like-for-like replacement. He would evaluate whether the replacement furnishes an undue advantage to his team. “In assessing whether the nominated COVID-19 replacement should be considered a like-for-like player, the BCCI match referee should consider the likely role that the relevant player would have played during the remainder of the match, and the normal role that would be performed by the nominated COVID-19 replacement,” the circular elaborates.
