The second day of the ongoing Ranji Trophy Group matches in Mumbai and Rajkot will start late by two hours from the regular time due to solar eclipse on Thursday.
A source in the Mumbai Cricket Association confirmed the development after the opening day's play between Mumbai and Railways concluded at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
A solar eclipse occurs when a portion of the earth is engulfed in a shadow cast by the moon which fully or partially blocks sunlight.
All Ranji Trophy games begin at 9.30 am IST.
Railways have taken a narrow two runs lead after bundling out the 41-time Ranji Trophy champions for a party 114. In reply, there were sitting pretty on 116/5 in their first essay.
Similarly, the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), which is hosting Uttar Pradesh at its stadium in Rajkot, also said that the play will start at 11.30am on Thursday.
"Tomorrow, the match will start at 11:30 a.m. due to Solar Eclipse," the SCA stated in a release.
Saurashtra are comfortably placed at 322/8 with India's Test specialist Cheteswar Pujara along with Sheldon Jackson and Harvik Desai slamming half-centuries.
NADA collects sample at Ranji Trophy match
The officials of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) checked in at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground in NEw Delhi for 'in-competition' testing of cricketers playing the Ranji Trophy Group A league match between Delhi and Hyderabad.
Two representatives -- dope control officer and chaperone -- collected samples of the players during the lunch time of the match.
"NADA officials came for random testing. As per our knowledge, they will be randomly selecting one player each from either side. Today, Hyderabad opener Tanmay Agarwal and Delhi opener Kunal Chandela gave their urine samples," a senior DDCA official said on Wednesday
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The BCCI has come under NADA's ambit this season and it is learnt that two cricketers will be randomly tested (in-competition) in the matches they select.
However, it could not be ascertained how many Ranji matches have been earmarked for in-competition testing by the NADA.
"They are supposed to collect samples in the Under-19, Under-23 and women's matches also," a senior BCCI official said.
With the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) under suspension from the WADA, the NADA is currently getting its samples tested from the accredited laboratory in Doha.
