New Delhi, Jan 4 (PTI) India's premier domestic first-class competition Ranji Trophy will not start as scheduled on January 13 due to a massive surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, a BCCI official told PTI on Tuesday.

The first round was to start in multiple cities on January 13 but has been put off and the BCCI will deliberate on when to conduct the blue riband tournament some time later.

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"Yes, the Ranji Trophy has now been put on hold and will not start on January 13," a BCCI tournament committee member told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Recently, the Bengal team reported six COVID-19 cases, including five players while Mumbai's India player Shivam Dube also tested positive and is in isolation.

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The Ranji Trophy is being held in six cities including Bengaluru and Kolkata among others.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)