A day after retiring from all formats of cricket, former India batsman Manoj Tiwari has revealed that the BCCI fined him for criticizing the Ranji Trophy. Tiwari played his last first-class match against Bihar. The BCCI fined him 20% of his Ranji Trophy match fee for criticizing Ranji Trophy. Tiwari had written in one of his social media posts that a lot is going wrong in the Ranji Trophy, and it should be removed from the calendar for the next season. Taking action against his post, BCCI has imposed this fine.
While sharing the photo of Ranji Trophy on his Instagram, Manoj Tiwari wrote, “Ranji Trophy should be removed from the calendar from the next season. Many things are going wrong in the tournament. Many things must be addressed to save this prestigious tournament with a rich history. It is losing its attraction and importance. Very disappointed.”
BCCI had recently told the centrally contracted players that they must prove themselves in domestic cricket to be selected for international cricket. The order probably comes due to Ishan Kishan’s refusal to play in the Ranji Trophy even though he is reportedly fit and not on national duty.
During his felicitation ceremony in Kolkata, Tiwari said, “I think if I had not posted it on The seriousness he has shown by taking this step at the crucial stage of the Ranji Trophy reflects his concern that many players, especially high-profile players who have been successful in the IPL with limited first-class cricket, may not want to give up the Ranji Trophy. Not giving enough importance.”
Tiwary said, “I can see that young players have adopted an IPL-centric mindset. Those who do not play IPL often go to Dubai or other places when they have free time. However, this trend is not changing due to the prestigious Ranji Trophy. It is reducing the importance. IPL is a big platform for all of us, but I also request the BCCI President and Secretary to increase the importance of Ranji Trophy.”
