Virat Kohli’s fans could be left disappointed as the star India batter is set to return to the Ranji Trophy contest for the first time in over a decade on Thursday (Jan 30). Kohli, who last represented Delhi in the Ranji Trophy in 2012 will play in the domestic red-ball format against Railways in Elite Group D. However, according to a report, the match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium between Delhi and Railways will not be telecast or live-streamed on any digital platform.

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Kohli fans disappointed

According to a report from a leading news outlet, Kohli’s Ranji Trophy match will not be telecasted on the Sports 18 Network, which holds the rights to broadcast India’s domestic matches. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already allocated telecast slots to Karnataka vs. Haryana, Bengal vs. Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir vs. Baroda, meaning there could be logistical issues in broadcasting the match.

The current broadcaster will either have to drop one match from the already allotted slot to accommodate the Kohli contest on TV or make necessary arrangements for live streaming on the digital platform.

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"We don't know if BCCI will make any last-minute arrangements since Kohli is playing but we haven't been intimated anything about the broadcast of this game. Normally all big centres get one live game allotted (TV or streaming). We had a game against Tamil Nadu which was aired live. The roster for broadcast is set months in advance," a DDCA official told PTI.

It is also reported that the BCCI decision to broadcast Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match last week was made well in advance before Rohit Sharma joined the team. This means no last-minute changes were needed in the broadcasting schedule. However, the BCCI now has less than 48 hours to decide whether the Delhi-Railways Ranji Trophy match will be broadcast or not.

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(Inputs from Agencies)