Jaipur: The upcoming Under-19 Dungarpur Shield faces a major logistical crisis after the Udaipur District Cricket Association (DCA) abruptly withdrew as a host venue on Thursday, citing acute accommodation shortages.The Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) tournament, scheduled from Aug 22 to Sept 4, is the primary selection ground for the state’s junior boys’ team and was originally slated to be played across Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur.However, Udaipur DCA officials revealed they were forced to pull out after hotels declined player bookings due to outstanding financial dues from previous RCA tournaments.“There are three budget-friendly hotels in Udaipur that we routinely book for the players,” an official explained. “This time, however, they declined our bookings, claiming all rooms were full. Their refusal likely stems from delayed payments by the RCA following the conclusion of the Colvin Shield and the women’s tournament. While the players were paid, vendors are still awaiting their dues.”The crisis may worsen in the coming days. Sources reveal that Jodhpur is also likely to decline hosting duties due to similar financial and logistical hurdles. If Jodhpur pulls out, the RCA will be forced to centralise the entire tournament in Jaipur.Selectors shortlist nearly 90 players for Ranji fitness test: To take things forward and begin shaping the Ranji Trophy squad, the RCA selection committee met on Thursday and shortlisted an expansive group of approximately 90-95 players for mandatory fitness testing. This massive pool of hopefuls will now have to clear physical evaluations before selectors trim the list down to the final probables.“Around 90-95 players have been selected for the fitness test. The number of players is unusually high for this stage. Rahul Chahar won’t feature in the list as he has moved to Andhra Pradesh,” sources tracking developments at the RCA said.The sources added, “The list and the entire plan for hosting the fitness test will go to RCA administrator Bhaskar A Sawant. After his approval, the players will be notified.”
