The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has written to the BCCI, requesting the cricket board to postpone Bengal’s Ranji Trophy match against Kerala by a couple of days, as the city could be impacted by Cyclone Dana.
On Wednesday, rain lashed Kolkata and adjoining districts, with Dana moving north-westwards. According to IMD, by Friday it could intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over north-western Bay of Bengal.
“The Cricket Association of Bengal has written to Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI, to defer the home matches of Senior Bengal and Bengal Under-23 scheduled on October 26th and October 27th respectively by a couple of days as the city is expected to be impacted by Cyclone Dana,” the CAB said in a press release.
Bengal’s last Ranji Trophy match against Bihar in Kalyani was a washout due to wet outfield. There was no rain on matchdays, but poor ground management put paid to any chance of the game taking place. Kalyani was the venue for the Kerala fixture as well, scheduled to be played from Saturday. But following the Bihar game fiasco, the CAB has moved it to the Jadavpur University Second Campus ground in Kolkata.
Done in by the elements, Bengal couldn’t reach the Ranji Trophy knockouts last season. Just one point from the Bihar no-show could hurt the team this term as well.