BCCI drops idea to field NCA team in Duleep Trophy

The Indian board has dropped the idea of fielding a team comprising National Cricket Academy trainees in the Duleep Trophy tournament this coming season.

The board's Tours and Programmes and Fixtures Committee, convened by Gautam Dasgupta and chaired by Kamal Morarka to chalk out the schedule for the 2005-06 domestic season, felt it would not be proper to field an NCA team considering the importance of the event.

"It was felt it would not be proper to field an NCA team in this important inter-zonal tournament in which all the top cricketers of the country would be taking part as they would be lacking experience to play at this level," Gautam Dasgupta, the board's joint secretary, told reporters.

As has been the practice over the last two seasons, a foreign team - mostly the A team of one of the top Test nations - will participate in the Duleep Trophy. Coloured clothing and white balls would be used in the Deodhar Trophy inter-zonal limited overs tournament to be played in February-March, 2006, Dasgupta said, adding the tournament may not necessarily be held under lights.

The season would begin with the Irani Cup tie between Railways, who won the Ranji Trophy last year, and the Rest of India in Delhi from October 1 to 5. This game would be followed by Challenger Series, from October 10 to 13, which will be a one-day tournament held in the day-night format at Mohali. Dasgupta added that the series was scheduled so that the top Indian players could get match practice ahead of the home one-day nternational series against Sri Lanka.