Last season, Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy final by beating Uttar Pradesh at Hyderabad in front of empty stands. After the match, Tendulkar had said that he did not quite like the concept of playing at neutral venues. “Whenever a team plays, it should play in front of the crowd which is against them or behind them... even at the international level.”

Two years ago, when the BCCI had changed the format of Ranji knock-out games, it was seen as a move that would end the unhealthy trend of hosts preparing pitches that were overtly friendly to their strengths. Along with the roll back, the technical committee has tried to ensure that the old problems wouldn’t crop up.

“The technical committee approved the format for assessment of pitches for domestic tournaments,” a BCCI statement said, adding that the pitches for the knock-out games would be put under the charge of the BCCI’s Pitch and Grounds Committee member from the zone, though not one from the host association.

No foreign hands

In another decision, the committee proposed barring foreign players from all domestic tournaments, except the Indian Premier League. The BCCI had last year allowed teams to register one foreign player, who had played at least 10 Tests or 20 limited-overs internationals, in their sides. Last season, only Maharashtra fielded a foreign player — Bangladesh spinner Enamul Haque. Other foreigners to have featured recently in India’s domestic competitions were England internationals Vikram Solanki and Kabir Ali, both of whom played for Rajasthan in 2006-07. Haque, Solanki and Ali all failed to make a mark during their Ranji Trophy appearances.

Concerns over ball

The committee also expressed concern over the quality of the SG Test balls being used in domestic tournaments. It is likely that the SG balls will be replaced by Kookabura in the future, but before that decision is taken, the BCCI plans to take opinion of the players.

The Committee also wants all the contracted players to make themselves available for their states when they are not playing international cricket. “The committee was of the view that the board should talk to its contracted players and ensure that they represent their respective state sides when not playing for India,” said the BCCI statement.

New NCA hubs

The National Cricket Academy Board decided to open three wings across the country with each having a specific aim. Besides, the nodal centre at Bangalore; Mohali (pace), Mumbai (batting) and Chennai (spin) too will see academies. The NCA committee didn’t finalise the coaching staff that will involved in this new initiative.