India’s domestic cricket has always been one of the more unpublicized aspects of the game. However of late this is being reversed with BCCI’s new rule that allows foreign players to play Indian domestic cricket. Soon after this announcement, the Bengal Ranji Trophy Team, to be led by Sourav Ganguly signed Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on board for the 2008 – 09 Ranji Trophy.

Following a bad run at past Ranji Trophy Seasons , the Cricket Association of Bengal presided by Jagmohan Dalmiya hopes to have Muralitharan on board to help pull the team out of the doldrums. However Muralitharan’s manager has made it fairly clear that he will put international commitments before the Ranji Trophy.

The Sri Lankan team has several tournaments lined up – A home series against Zimbabwe in November and another against Bangladesh in January. Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed that Murali will play for his IPL team Chennai Super Kings for the inaugural Champions Twenty20 League from December 3rd to 10th. It only remains to see how Muralitharan will be available for the Ranji Trophy season which is scheduled to begin on November 3rd. He has himself said that he is yet to finalize the contract as representing his country is his first priority. Besides he also has a prior three year contract with Chennai’s IPL team. He definitely has a lot on his hands.

The question here is, if Murali does play the Ranji Trophy, will he really be able to haul up the weak Bengal team? Dalmiya asserts that with his kind of experience (756 tests, 479 ODI wickets) the team will greatly benefited. But the flip side of this decision is that by offering one spot of such importance to a foreign player, it takes away the chance of one budding young Indian player who aspires to make it to the team.

In addition, it has also been rumored by Cricket360 experts that the CAB’s motive behind this inclusion is not an entirely pure one. Despite getting clearances from the BCCI it is rumored that this can be Dalmiya’s and Ganguly’s game-plan to get back at the BCCI by creating problems for them, and pulling on a chance of getting back into the Board. Quite a sticky situation here, we’d say.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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