Revitalising Ranji
Like any other year, this one too had its highs and lows, moments that captured the imagination for contrasting reasons. Here's a lowdown on what happened in the world of cricket in 2012.
India’s premier domestic competition was subjected to a rigorous revamping, led by Sourav Ganguly of the BCCI’s technical committee. The major changes recommended were the formation of three groups with nine teams each, with every team getting to play eight matches in the league stage. The top three teams from groups A and B and the top two from group C would qualify for the knockout phase.
The committee also proposed that the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final should be five-day matches. The previous format allowed only the final to be played over five days. The points system was also modified. An outright win was granted six points, plus a bonus point for a win by an innings or by 10 wickets, among other changes.
One aspect that Ganguly and his motley crew conveniently overlooked, however, was the lifelessness of domestic pitches. With the season barely four rounds old, a spate of triple-centuries and big hundreds already indicate that some things never really change.