The ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy has been severely affected by rain in several parts of the country. 17 out of 30 matches scheduled across Bengaluru, Jaipur, Vadodra and Dehradun were cancelled due to inclement weather, with overnight pouring being a major concern.
Hence, to deal with the situation, the BCCI has decided to reschedule the washed out games. These matches will be played on the two rest days on October 2 and 8, keeping the teams' interest in mind. Moreover, the group stage could be extended by a few days from its October 16 finish.
Bad weather and heavy downpour have majorly troubled the Group A and B matches which were scheduled across Bengaluru and Vadodra. Defending champions Mumbai, featuring in Group A, are yet to play a match as both their fixtures were called off.
Matches in Vadodra were called off for the third day running. Only the Karnataka-Jharkhand face-off in Bengaluru could begin as scheduled while the rest two were truncated.
Confirming the development, BCCI GM, Cricket Operations Saba Karim said, “We are working on it (rescheduling abandoned matches). We did not expect the unseasonal rain to affect the tournament so badly. It is not just one venue.
“We will have to factor in matches at all the four venues. We will take a final call after getting the views from all stakeholders. We will schedule matches on rest days. Our intention is to ensure the players get maximum game time.”