Cuttack: The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) has expressed its inability to host domestic tournaments/matches due to lack of funding from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
As per reports, OCA was getting funds from the BCCI to organise State-level matches. However, with the interference of the Supreme Court in the functioning of the board, all funding has been stopped.
OCA did not get any funds from BCCI in the last two years but it organised the State-level matches with the help of the funds it had earlier got from the Board.
“We have decided to cancel all the domestic matches because we don’t have any funds left with us. We have not got our annual grant from BCCI for the last two years,” said OCA executive committee chairman, Dhiren Palei.
OCA hosts Under-16, 19 and 23 matches every year apart from important tournaments like Kalahandi Cup. Players are selected for the State Ranji team based on their performance in these matches. Hence, OCA is now considering holding “Selection Camps” to select players, said reports.
However, questions are being raised over the selection process through these camps.
“We were getting enough opportunities to show our talent in the domestic matches but now it won’t be that easy for us,” said a budding cricketer, Swastik Samal.
The new system will definitely affect the selection process. It’s going to be tough for young cricketers to get chance for Ranji,” said former Odisha cricketer, Pawan Agrawal.