IPL will be priority when cricket starts: Wasim Jaffer 

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer feels cricketers’ health takes priority post the Coronavirus pandemic and believes that domestic tournaments like Vijay Hazare, Duleep and Deodhar Trophy should be scrapped this year. The veteran batsman believes the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should focus on conducting just two tournaments – Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“As and when the season commences, whenever cricket starts, the priority is to have the IPL first. The BCCI can look to start with the IPL as the first tournament,” Wasim Jaffer told PTI on Monday (July 15).

The BCCI are hoping that they can organise the Indian Premier League this year in a September-October window but that that is subject to Asia Cup and T20 World Cup not taking place this year.

Wasim Jaffer called for a much-curtailed domestic season to ensure that the players get enough rest and are not pushed too far.

The domestic cricket season is expected to start in August but with the Covid-19 cases on the rise in the last few weeks, the BCCI are not committing to anything.

“Once the IPL finishes, the BCCI can look to start the domestic season with the Irani Trophy (Cup) as Saurashtra deserves to play it as they are first-time champions,” the former Mumbai opener said.

“Then we can start the Ranji Trophy. And before the (IPL) auction, as and when BCCI keeps the auction for next year’s IPL, we should have the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and scrap the Vijay Hazare, Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy and use that period to hold these major two tournaments with the adequate breaks for players," the 42-year-old added.

Wasim Jaffer, who now represents Vidarbha in Ranji Trophy, believes that the rejig will ensure that players will have enough time to prepare.

“...rather than rushing all tournaments and players not getting sufficient rest or changing the formats. That is the only thing I feel, use those two months of Vijay Hazare and Duleep trophy. Have sufficient breaks and hold these tournaments only, which are more premium tournaments,” Wasim Jaffer stressed.

Scrap one-day tournaments at U-19 and U-23 level: Wasim Jaffer

“And it probably goes into junior level also, try and scrap the ODI tournaments in U-23 or U-19, so that I feel the players will get sufficient breaks and they can look forward to these tournaments,” explained the highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy.

Wasim Jaffer also stressed on the need for making the road to Ranji Trophy quarter-finals tougher.

“And one more thing is having Ranji Trophy with teams split into groups with nine teams each in A, B and C and three teams qualifying into knockouts from. Three teams from A group, three from B group of elite teams and you can have two teams qualify from the C group, so that makes it eight teams and have the quarter-final among those teams.

“The D Group (Plate), they should only get the incentive of topping the table to get the promotion into C group. I feel the top team from the D Group shouldn’t be allowed to play the quarter-finals, as that makes the competition a little weak,” said Wasim Jaffer, who announced his retirement in March.