Jaipur not to host Irani Trophy

New Delhi: The curtain-raiser to India’s domestic season, the Irani Trophy, will not be he held in Jaipur next month owing to tensions between the the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) and the Rajasthan Sports Council (RSC), Cricketnext has learned.

The BCCI is expected to announce the replacement venue soon, with Indore and Nagpur being two options.

On Saturday, the chairman of the BCCI's Grounds and Pitches Committee, Venkat Sundaram, inspected the venue and decided that the pitch and outfield are not in proper state to hold a match of this magnitude.

Either Indore or Nagpur are expected to host the curtain-raiser to India\'s domestic season.

The 2012-13 Irani Trophy, featuring current Ranji Trophy winners Rajasthan and Rest of India, was scheduled to be held at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium from September 21-25. However, as reported earlier this week, work on preparation for the match had come to a standstill because the RSC, owners of the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, had barred RCA officials from entering the venue since July.

Speaking to Cricketnext, the RCA secretary KK Sharma said it was unfortunate that the match had been shifted from Jaipur but believed the BCCI had taken the correct decision. “Venkat Sundram closely inspected the ground and pitch conditions today and gave his report to the BCCI. I think the blame goes to the RSC which was highly careless and irresponsible approach towards the stadium,” he said. “They did not cover the pitch while it had been raining heavily in Jaipur which left the stadium in poor condition. The Rajasthan government must take notice of such unprofessional behaviour of the RSC and take appropriate action against them."

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