BCCI choose Bengaluru as likely venue for Ranji Trophy knockouts

After an interesting league phase, the 2022 season of the Ranji Trophy is set to advance towards the knockouts, which are scheduled to commence from May 30. Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Karnataka, Mumbai, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand are the eight teams that will fight among themselves in the knockout stage of the tournament.

While the dates have been made clear by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the venue is yet to be officially announced. However, a recent report of Cricbuzz has stated that Bengaluru has been zeroed in as the likely venue for the knockout fixtures.

The decision has been made "internally" by the BCCI and have chosen Bengaluru as the venue, considering that the monsoon hits the Karnataka capital in July, while the matches will be held in May-June.

Knockouts involve seven matches - quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final, which will be played between the top eight teams. Notably, the defending champions Saurashtra are already out of the tournament.

The 2022 edition of the championship was set to be cancelled but on requests of the state associations, the BCCI devised a plan to conduct the tournament safely. A total of 38 teams were divided into eight Elite Groups (four teams each) and one Plate Group (six teams).

The national cricket board has picked up the same format for the upcoming season of the CK Nayudu Trophy. Four teams each are clubbed in eight Elite Groups and the Plate Group are made up of five teams. The tournament kicks off on March 22.