Kashmir’s wait for a Ranji Trophy match will end this week as the Haryana team reached the state capital for their Plate Division match a week after the Services team refused to turn up for the season opener.

Scheduled to start on Tuesday, this will be the first first-class match in the Valley in five years, but the teams may be confined to the dressing rooms with rain threatening to play spoilsport.

The Haryana squad, which arrived on Sunday, were unable to train due to persistent rains, and spent the day sightseeing instead. The possibility of the match starting on time are bleak with the Meteorological department predicting wet weather right through Tuesday.

“We all are excited about our first game, but the weather is a big concern,” J&K skipper Vinayak Mane said. “We have a decent side and have worked hard over the past couple of days.”

Ashwin Kumar, the coach of the Haryana side, said his team were feeling at home. Kumar, in fact, first visited Kashmir in 1978, when he played for the Haryana Under-20 team in the CK Naidu Cup at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium — the venue for Tuesday’s match. “We’re here to play cricket. As far as our team is concerned, the venue does not matter,” he said.

Services had forfeited their match against J&K, reportedly after security concerns, based on intelligence inputs. They were subsequently banned from this year’s edition, even though the Services Sports Control Board have since apologised and requested the BCCI to reschedule the game.

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