Ranji Trophy 2019-20: No DRS in quarterfinals as BCCI defers 'limited DRS' by one round 

What's the story?

After the CoA approved the use of 'limited DRS' in the knockout matches of Ranji Trophy 2019-20, the unavailability of live telecast services has forced the BCCI to defer the decision by one round. This means that there will be no DRS available in the quarterfinals of India's most prestigious domestic tournament.

The background

Because of some poor decision-making from the on-field umpires in the previous edition of Ranji Trophy, the CoA had decided to introduce the Decision Review System (DRS) in the 2019-20 edition of the tournament. While the original plan was to have DRS for all the knockout matches, two of the four venues for the quarterfinals will not be telecasting the proceedings live on TV. Hence, BCCI had to postpone the introduction of the DRS to the semifinal stage.

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The heart of the matter

Talking to TOI on Monday (17th February), BCCI General Manager (Operations) Saba Karim mentioned that the quarterfinal match between Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir will be played at the Govt. Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu which has no facilities to live telecast a match. He said:

"Only two matches will be televised in the quarterfinals and there won't be uniformity. Hence, the limited DRS will be applicable for the semifinals and final."

Karim, however, confirmed that the match between Bengal and Odisha as well as the fixture between Gujarat and Goa will be live. Besides that, the fourth quarterfinal match between Saurashtra and Andhra Pradesh will also not be telecast as broadcasting a game from Ongole is not a feasible option.

What's next?

It will be intriguing to see which teams make it to the semifinals of the 2019-20 edition of Ranji Trophy. Since there have been no major umpiring howlers in this season, the fans expect the quarterfinal stage to culminate smoothly without any controversies.