JSCA Is Set To Launch Its Own T20 League:
The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) is scheduled to launch its own T20 League – the Jharkhand Premier League – on 15 September this year. In an email to a leading sports website, many cricketers, who are associated with the association were told of their selection for the league and sent accompanying forms to register for the league.
They were asked to report to the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi-with instructions for the Covid-19 test-which is understood to be the host venue for the whole tournament.
The proposed format of the tournament to hold all matches in one venue is not entirely in line with BCCI ‘s preliminary plans for the domestic season, which includes establishing groups that will compete exclusively on four grounds in two cities.
But it could well prove to be an unofficial dry run for the BCCI, in terms of handling a safety bubble with multiple teams. At the same time, it is unclear if the tournament has been approved by the BCCI yet, and a leading sports website attempts to reach the association was unsuccessful.
That said, it is rare for such a tournament to take place without official authorization, and the letter sent to the players was on the official JSCA stationery, which clearly indicates that it is associated with the BCCI.
The BCCI is currently struggling with the possibility of a highly truncated domestic season, if any, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since March, there has been no sanctioned cricket in India, and no definite direction of resumption, apart from a tentative fixture plan that has not yet been ratified by senior management.
The radar is currently well focused on the IPL, which has faced many problems of its own, including at least a 20-30% decline in sales for all its franchises, aside from a 50% decline in title sponsorship.
In this area, the JSCA has officially signed an agreement with two major sponsors as well as a live-streaming partner. The tournament will, however, be without popular Jharkhand players including MS Dhoni, Ishan Kishan, Shahbaz Nadeem, and Varun Aaron, who are in the UAE to compete in the IPL for their respective teams.
But the Board sees this as an opportunity to have a forum for emerging players and to have a deep pool of players ready if a domestic season is to take place in the works by the end of the year.
“The Association is humbled and expresses its deepest gratitude to the state government for its pro-active help in these difficult times to kick-start sporting activities in Jharkhand,” said JSCA President Nafees Akhtar Khan in a leading news report.
The league will have six teams representing the six zones of Jharkhand and will run for 33 days. Teams will not be focused on franchises. “The six teams representing six zones include Ranchi Raiders, Dumka Daredevils, Dhanbad Dynamos, Singhbhum Strikers, Jamshedpur Jugglers, and Bokaro Blasters,” JSCA secretary Sanjay Sahay was quoted as saying in a leading newspaper.
“The teams shall consist of only players registered with the JSCA from the state of Jharkhand. Nearly 100 players will compete in the tournament and there will be no franchises or team owners.”
The email Sahay sent to the players included a paper on the Covid-19 protocols, which sets out how to build a bio-secure bubble in the stadium. The selection letter claimed that players would only be able to join the bubble after sending derogatory feedback to Covid-19 before leaving their homes. Upon reaching the site, the guidelines follow the anticipated lines-physical space, no ball saliva, no equipment sharing, no bubble exits, and so on.
The players will be provided with three sets of “accommodation kits” for the duration of their stay, one set of “dressing room kits” for each match, and two sets of “sports equipment” for each match. Players have been advised to use personal vehicles or shared taxis to enter the venue.
A provision is also made for those with symptoms: “Any player/support staff suspected of having Covid-19 symptoms during their stay shall undergo RT-PCR tests for Covid-19.
Two measurements are conducted one day apart (Day 1 & Day 3) to account for false negatives. If both test results are negative, they will only be eligible to take part in the league.
