Late start, less sheen, lesser relevance

It has been more than seven weeks since the Indian domestic season started with the Duleep Trophy. Three titles have already been decided. Still, for a religious domestic cricket follower - and there are many, contrary to popular belief - the season will kick off on Sunday. As the Indian cricket fraternity switches from coloured clothing to white flannels and from white to red balls, here are some reasons why the Ranji Trophy's 81st season will be different.

Scheduling

Ever since the format was changed from zonal leagues-cum-knockout to a two-tier system - which recently became three-tier - in 2002-03, the Ranji Trophy has been starting around late October and concluding in mid-January. However, with the World Cup in February next year, the BCCI decided to let the selectors have a look at the one-day prowess of the players before finalising the probables for the tournament.

So the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Deodhar Trophy were staged in November and early December, pushing back the Ranji Trophy. This means that all the seven knockout matches of the premier domestic championship will clash with the World Cup. Naturally, the most important games in the domestic calendar will have neither marquee players nor eyeballs.

The scheduling has also left most teams with little time to prepare. In fact, very few sides have been able to have their entire squads together for a week going into the first round.

"For so many years, the pattern was the same - playing Ranji before one-dayers. For us also, this is a different pattern. While we were playing one-dayers, we also had to look after the Ranji probables' preparation," Pravin Amre, the Mumbai coach, said. "We all know it was rescheduled for the World Cup. Hopefully it will be a one-off thing."

Pushing back the Ranji Trophy could also have a big impact on many games. All the centres in the north zone, along with many in the east and central zones, experience cold conditions from December to February. In the past the last few rounds of league games in these centres, which used to be staged in late December and January, have seen at least a day's play wasted due to fog over a four-day match.

With the league stage stretching till February 9 this time, foggy conditions are likely to not only affect the outcomes of many games but also have severe implications on the points tables.

"It is likely to have some sort of impact overall," Shiv Sunder Das, the Odisha batting coach, said. "Especially for us since we have away games against Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. It will be a big challenge for us, not just to cope with the chilly weather but also make the most of whatever game-time we will get."

Little bearing on the World Cup

Despite the presence of one-day tournaments in the domestic calendar, the Ranji Trophy still acts as a feeder for players to break into India's ODI squad. From Rahul Dravid to Ambati Rayudu and Javagal Srinath to Ashok Dinda, players across generations have earned ODI call-ups based on their impressive outings in the Ranji Trophy.

However, with the World Cup probables having been announced before the start of the Ranji season, the tournament will have very little bearing on the final squad selection. Barring a couple of spots, India's World Cup squad is virtually sealed, unless there is a major injury.

There are some who believe those spots will be decided based on the first half of the Ranji league stage. Bengal captain Laxmi Shukla is one of them. "I feel those who have been named in the probables will have plenty to look forward to in the Ranji Trophy," Shukla said. "I think three-four of them will get into the squad based on their Ranji performance."

We will know in about a month's time whether Ranji performances will count.

Absence of domestic stalwarts

From Rajinder Goel to Narendra Hirwani, Amarjeet Kaypee to Amol Muzumdar and Kirti Azad to JP Yadav, the Ranji Trophy used to have unwavering veterans who plied their trade year after year. Not only did these stalwarts pile on mind-boggling numbers they also helped groom young cricketers.

Over the last few years, though, the era of domestic legends seems to be on the wane. Muzumdar, Murali Kartik and Hrishikesh Kanitkar will not be seen in action after dominating the domestic scene for almost two decades. While Muzumdar and Kartik have retired, Kanitkar was supposed to have been added to Rajasthan's squad at the last minute, but withdrew due to fitness issues.

This leaves Wasim Jaffer, S Badrinath and Ramesh Powar as some veterans who will be seen in action this season. Jaffer would be keen to add 263 more to his Ranji tally of 9737 and become the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in the tournament.

Eye on the IPL

Besides the trio, many experienced India players will be seen in the Ranji Trophy this season. Having been excluded from India's World Cup probables, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh have all been sent a clear signal by the national selectors that their international careers are as good as over. Yet, all of them will turn out for their respective state teams, at least for the first few rounds.

The popular perception is that the main reason behind this is not to make a case for a comeback to international cricket but to ensure that they play at least one more season of IPL. And there are numerous names that can be added to this list.

Whether you like it or not, from a youngster playing his maiden first-class season to the world-beaters who are no longer part of international cricket, everyone believes that the Ranji Trophy is a stepping stone to earning an IPL contract.

"I have heard that there are some players who don't want to play Ranji Trophy since the inception of the IPL," Shukla said. "But I feel as an Indian cricketer, if you don't play Ranji Trophy, you won't be able to sleep peacefully. Unless you go out there and test yourself against all kinds of bowlers and batsmen day in and day out, you won't feel accomplished as a cricketer. And Ranji Trophy gives you that platform."