Sourav Ganguly not to play Ranji fixtures

Sourav Ganguly has decided not to appear in four-day Ranji matches for Bengal in the future, though he is available for the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy starting February 10.

Sambaran Banerjee, selection committee chairman of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), told the Times of India that Ganguly had informed him about the decision during Bengal's Ranji Super League tie against Delhi, where he struck a fluent century.

"Definitely it would be a big loss for Bengal which would be difficult to make up," Banerjee said. "He is still in very good nick. However, it is his decision."

Ganguly has scored over 15,000 first-class runs in a career spanning 20 years, including 3125 runs in 46 Ranji fixtures. He has featured regularly in the domestic circuit since his retirement from international cricket in November 2008. He also represented Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and has been reinstated as the captain for the 2010 season.