The 2016-17 season of the Ranji Trophy will begin on October 6 in uncertain times for the BCCI, which has been put in the dock after its failure to implement several key Lodha Committee orders.While this may not directly affect the 28 teams and 700-odd players involved in this season, it is impossible to zone out the events that have caused the board much embarrassment this year. Add to that the teams concerns of playing the tournament at neutral venues, a move adopted after a recommendation by the technical committee led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly.Chaos has been a constant in the build-up to the season. The board announced the Ranji Trophy schedule on September 2, a little more than a month before its start. There was a push to play the tournament with the pink ball and BCCI president Anurag Thakur even confirmed the move on September 10 although the board had shelved its plans for a day-night Test this season. Several sides then confirmed that they hadnt received the pink ball for training, which forced the board to continue with the existing SG Red ball.To add to this, logistical nightmares sprang up, not entirely of the boards making, with several sides being allotted new venues for their opening games. Political tensions along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border because of a water dispute forced Karnatakas opening match against Jharkhand, in round two of the tournament, to be moved out of Chennai to Greater Noida. Tamil Nadus clash in Belgaum in December may also be shifted out. The first-round match between Saurashtra-Rajasthan in Chennai was shifted out of the state because of unforeseen issues. It is in this scenario that the ten teams in Group C and nine each in Groups A and B will battle to be domestic champions.The 17 curators in charge of preparing surfaces across the country - up from 10 used last year - will have a tough job of trying to find the middle path. Several curators admitted they were hesitant to prepare either a green surface or a turner for the fear that matches would not last four days. The only difference this season, though, is that with neutral venues teams will not have a distinct home advantage, compared to the previous two seasons when associations were guilty of producing surfaces with varying degrees of dryness and grass cover to suit their needs.Twenty-eight matches finished within three days in 2015-16 compared to 20 in 2014-15. The number of outright wins, too, increased from 56 in 2014-15 to 63 in 2015-16 with the same number of matches played in both seasons (115). While result-oriented games are not a bad thing, there has been a sense that the tailored pitches added an artificial competitive edge to Indias premier domestic competition.Its a little different at the international level, though, since you are looking for wickets and to win matches, former India captain Rahul Dravid said last year, after Odisha were bundled out for 37 against Bengal on what players later described was a paddy field. At the Ranji Trophy level, we are looking to prepare the players for the international stage. What I have seen recently, these wickets are poor. I really dont think its good for Indian cricket because if you think about them its a waste of time, energy and money. The reason for the Ranji Trophy is not only to decide the winner in the end. It also has a job to develop and prepare cricketers for the international stage. And if we keep playing on bad wickets like these, we are not going to develop and produce good cricketers.That said, surfaces in different parts of the country have specific characteristics. It is a given teams will encounter swing in Lahli, spin in Chennai and bounce, to an extent, in Mohali. The problematic bit is when sides try to go out of the norm and tailor tracks according to their needs. Last season, Saurashtra prepared dustbowls to suit their spin-bowling strength, and Ravindra Jadeja picked up a mind-boggling 37 wickets in the first three games.The weather poses another challenge for curators. With winter slowly setting in in early November, lack of sunshine and fog could hinder curators in the northern part of the country, like previous seasons. With conditions suiting the fast bowlers, spinners have been largely redundant. Sample this: Murali Kartik, the former India left-arm spinner, equated pitches in north India to the grass courts at Wimbledon. He bowled all of 71 overs in seven games in his final Ranji Trophy season, in 2013-14; ten of those were seam-up. It raises the question of whether there is a case to be made for docking points from teams for under-prepared surfaces, instead of adopting neutral venues. A few coaches have also suggested that the system of home and away matches could continue without a toss being non-mandatory, in which case a visiting captain could choose to bat or bowl. This was trialled during the recent English county season.Moving away from surfaces to teams, the usual suspects - Mumbai, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu [under new coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar] and Delhi - look strong favourites once again, while Uttar Pradesh and Punjab will be the dark horses. Chhattisgarhs addition as the 28th side will add some mystery for sides in Group C. The new entrants have proved competitive in their two preparatory tournaments - they finished runners-up at the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament in Chennai and won the Bapuna Cup organised by the Vidarbha Cricket Association in Nagpur. Chhattisgarh will be eager to take that form into their maiden first-class season, after a decade-and-a-half long battle for recognition.With India set to host England, Bangladesh and Australia after the New Zealand series, players on the fringes of the national side will have the added incentive of trying to catch the selectors eye in the immediate future, should replacements be sought at different stages. What better way to serve notice than by performing at venues far different from the ones theyve grown up on? Cheap Nike Shox Shoes .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Clearance Nike Shox .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.cheapnikeshoxfreeshipping.com/ .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Cheap Nike Shox Shoes In China- Wholesale . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury. Cheap Nike Shoes Free Shipping . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No.As the International Football Association Board (IFAB) prepares to enforce changes to football laws, weve asked Sky Sports Now guests and Premier League managers for their own proposals... Football laws will undergo their most extensive alteration since the introduction of goal-line technology in 2012 this year, with seven key areas subject to change as of June 1.But has the IFAB missed anything? Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher was joined in the Sky Sports News HQ studio by former England defenders Chris Powell and Steve Howey who, along with a host of top-flight managers, suggested proposals they would like to see implemented. IFAB announce law changes The Interntional Football Association Board has published law changes for 2016/17 season IFAB law changes Removal of triple punishment Kicking off backwards Offside free-kicks Injured players staying on pitch Red cards before kick-off Stricter penalty rules Violent conduct without contact We also want to hear your views - leave your suggestions in the message boards below or tweet @SkyFootball...Dermot Gallaghers proposals1. Throw-ins to be taken by the nearest person when the ball goes outDERMOT SAYS: It infuriates me how long it takes to get the ball back in play.2. Halves reduced to 35 minutes with an independent timekeeper stopping the clock when the ball goes out of playDERMOT SAYS: Everybody would know that were going to get 70 minutes of football. I watched some games and Im not sure whether we get an hour of football in some matches. Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher tells us what changes he would make to the laws of football. 3. Ban all substitutions in stoppage timeDERMOT SAYS: Its nearly always a winning team that makes substitutions just to break up the flow of the game. I realise there could be a serious injury so the caveat, for me, would be that if you had to replace a player you could. However, to prevent people manipulating the rule, the player who came off wouldnt be allowed to play in the next game.Steve Howeys proposals1. Punishment for feigning injury/simulationHOWEY SAYS: Moussa Sissoko went down in the box against Tottenham on the final day of the season and referee Anthony Taylor was so unlucky because from his angle it looked like he had been fouled. However, on second view there wasnt any contact from Jan Vertonghen. Perhaps we could look at whether players who have cheated the referee could be punished retrospectively.2. Punishment for players surrounding officcials Howey would like to see crowding the referee eradicated from the game HOWEY SAYS: If youve got more than three or four players going around the referee that doesnt help him at all.ddddddddddddThat has to stop. Normally you would expect just the captain, although that is difficult if the captain is the goalkeeper.3. Clarification of the offside lawHOWEY SAYS: In my career as a defender, if a player was offside they were offside. Now its difficult because of active and inactive players. Back in the day you could push the defensive line up and catch strikers offside, that doesnt happen now. Of course you want to see goals but its tough for linesmen and defenders. If a player is offside he should be offside because, at present, there are differing opinions and decisions week in week out.Chris Powells proposals1. Additional substitutes in extra-time of cup gamesPOWELL SAYS: This could apply to extra-time in general. I watched the League Two play-off between Accrington and Wimbledon and Lyle Taylor was obviously struggling but, because Wimbledon had used their three subs, he couldnt come off. He could have carried on, picked up an injury and missed the final so I feel additional subs would be good.2. Third-placed finish straight to play-off final Brighton were dumped out of the play-offs despite finishing the season third with 89 points POWELL SAYS: If you finish third after 46 games you should go to Wembley. The sixth-place team should play the fifth team in a one-off game at the fifth-placed teams ground because they finished higher and should have the advantage. The winner of that plays the fourth-placed team in a one-off at their ground and then the winner of that plays the third-placed team at Wembley. The handicap is there for wherever you finish in the league and I feel this should happen in the play-offs.Managers proposalsArsene WengerId like to see video introduced for offside. It should happen in a similar way to goal-line technology. It would open up the game and would give an insight to the linesman who could be a bit more permissive. I think it would make many decisions easier. Aaron Ramsey wrongfully had a goal ruled out for offside in Arsenals goalless draw with Liverpool in August Ronald KoemanWe need to use more technology in football because there are still incorrect decisions in games. We can and we need to change that because it would make football fairer.Mark HughesId like an independent timekeeper because its one of those grey areas where, at the end of games, you have no idea what the referee is going to inform his assistant to add on. Id like to have more players on my bench. Thats the first thing I think about. It is important to have the opportunity to change the same players but have more choice. Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri Francesco GuidolinManagers should have one or two time-outs each game. It is an important new possibility to communicate with players during a game.Your proposalsWhat football law changes would you like to see? Leave your suggestions in the message boards below or tweet @SkyFootball. 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