Kolkata, September 10: Close to a year after retiring from international cricket, Sourav Ganguly said on Wednesday that he would consider playing a couple of Ranji Trophy matches for Bengal in the forthcoming season.
The 37-year-old cricketer has made it clear that he wants to be in touch for the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), scheduled to be played in March-April next year. “I don’t mind playing a few matches in the Ranji Trophy. I will play if I feel I need some practice,” Ganguly told a group of journalists when asked if he was considering a return.
Ganguly had already said that he would like to play for Bengal in the domestic one-dayers, scheduled to be played right after the Ranji matches. Bengal, who moved back up to the Elite division after playing in the Plate last season, will play four matches in Kolkata in the coming edition — against Delhi, Baroda and Saurashtra — and Ganguly might make himself available for a couple of them.
However, Bengal chief selector Sambaran Banerjee said he wouldn’t want to react, as neither the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) nor Ganguly himself has as yet discussed a Ranji return with the selection committee.
“We have no such information,” CAB joint-secretary Biswarup Dey said. “He (Sourav) hasn’t told us, formally or informally, about wanting to play the Ranji Trophy,” Dey told The Indian Express.
–Agencies–