'Ranji Trophy should be scrapped': Manoj Tiwary frustrated over current state of country's premier domestic tournament

Manoj Tiwary, the current skipper of the Bengal Cricket team, expressed his frustrations over current state of Ranji Trophy, India's top domestic First-Class cricket tournament.

Manoj Tiwary calls for scrapping of Ranji Trophy

Manoj Tiwary took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote,"Ranji trophy should be scrapped off from the calendar from the next season onwards. So many things going wrong in the tournament. So many things need to be looked into to save this prestigious tournament which has a rich history. It’s losing its charm and importance. Absolutely frustrated".

However, the reason behind the Bengal captain's post remains unclear. 

Bengal trail by 192 runs

Presently, he is leading the Bengal team against Kerala, with the team currently at 172/8, trailing by 192 runs in the first innings. Jalaj Saxena of Kerala showcased excellent bowling performance, claiming seven wickets in the first innings, thereby putting Bengal under pressure.

In August, Tiwary had made a U-turn on his decision to retire and has since participated in the ongoing season of the Ranji Trophy for Bengal. Since then, he has notably scored a remarkable century against Assam in Guwahati, contributing to Bengal's victory by an innings and 162 runs in their first match of the season.

In the First-Class format, Tiwary has amassed over 10,000 runs, including 29 centuries and 45 half-centuries. Under his captaincy, Bengal reached the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 season and finished as runners-up.

Apart from a two-decade-long stint in domestic cricket, Tiwary briefly represented the Indian national team, featuring in 12 ODIs and three T20Is between 2008 and 2015 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

Tiwary has also played for four different franchises in the Indian Premier League. He was a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad captained by Gautam Gambhir, which clinched the IPL title in 2012. His last IPL appearance was in 2018, representing the Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings, marking his sole season with the franchise.

In addition to his cricketing career, Tiwary is actively involved in politics. He joined the Trinamool Congress Party in West Bengal and currently serves as the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports.

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