Sports documentaries are the flavour of the season. Who can forget Prime Video’s ‘The Test’, which ran for three seasons and covered the Australian men’s cricket team? Not just cricket; football and tennis have also produced multiple documentaries on several athletes, which have found viewership all around the world. However, Indian cricket has usually shied away from such projects, and in recent times, only Netflix’s ‘Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians’ comes to mind.
However, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is now planning to chronicle the upcoming domestic season in a documentary and has reached out to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)to seek the necessary permissions to proceed. If the Indian board gives its go-ahead, the association would broadcast the entire Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign.
MCA president Ajinkya Naik on Friday confirmed to HT Digital that the plan is to showcase to the world what goes on behind the scenes and why Mumbai is known as the biggest powerhouse in domestic cricket, having won the Ranji Trophy a record 42 times. As of now, it’s unclear whether the season will be documented in a full-length feature film or in multiple episodes.
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“We have requested permission from the BCCI as we want to document the entire season,” Naik told HT Digital.
“Whether it comes to be a web series or a documentary will be decided once we move ahead, but the idea is to give fans a unique look at what goes on behind the scenes with the Mumbai team throughout the season,” he added.
Why a documentary?
According to Naik, the decision was taken because the association wants to let youngsters know how the work goes behind the scenes and how every player in the domestic setup takes playing for Mumbai very seriously.
“This initiative will help youngsters understand what goes on behind the scenes, the preparation, discipline, hard work and culture that have made Mumbai cricket so successful. It will give the next generation an opportunity to learn from Mumbai’s rich cricketing legacy,” said Naik.
“We want to capture the journey from Day 1 of our senior team’s preparations for the Ranji Trophy right through to the final match of the season. Mumbai cricket has such a rich heritage, and why shouldn’t it be showcased in front of the entire world? Let people see what goes into the making,” he added.
It is worth noting that this is the first time in history that such a plan has been in the works for an Indian domestic team. The Ranji Trophy is all set to begin next month, and Mumbai are placed in Group D alongside Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Railways, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.
The side will begin its campaign on October 11 against Chandigarh. The Ranji Trophy will then be followed by the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Siddesh Lad will lead Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, while one between Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer will be the captain in the white-ball team.