The legendary Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday said playing in the Ranji Trophy provides national players an opportunity to go back to basics while also elevating the level of the domestic tournament. The BCCI recently made it mandatory for its centrally contracted players to play domestic red-ball cricket if they aren't on national duty or in the NCA. The BCCI excluded Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer from its central contract list after they missed their state team's respective Ranji Trophy games. Ranji Trophy 2023–24: Vidarbha Defeat Madhya Pradesh by 62 Runs, To Meet Mumbai in Final.

The 25-year-old Kishan did not turn up for Jharkhand throughout the team's campaign in Ranji Trophy despite not being on national duty after leaving the tour of South Africa in December citing personal reasons. He instead focussed on preparing for the IPL for his franchise Mumbai Indians.

Sachin Tendulkar Tweet

Iyer, on the other hand, did not make himself available for Mumbai's Ranji quarterfinal against Baroda after being excluded from the Indian team after the second Test against England. He, however, played Mumbai's Ranji semifinal against Tamil Nadu. Tendulkar feels the participation of star Indian players turning out for their state teams will also generate more interest in domestic tournaments. 'Earn Money, Who Is Stopping You?' Praveen Kumar Reacts After BCCI Removes Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer from Central Contract.

Mumbai have qualified for their 48th Ranji Trophy final. The 41-time champions will take on either Vidarbha or Madhya Pradesh, who are engaged in a thrilling semifinal, in the summit clash.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)