Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has raised concerns over the standard of the Ranji Trophy, pointing out that the absence of international players and scheduling clashes are making it difficult to judge the true potential of domestic cricketers. In his column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar acknowledged that the competition in the Elite Division has improved, with teams that were previously less competitive now going on to win the tournament. However, he believes the absence of established Indian players makes it harder to assess the quality of individual performances. He also warned that weaker competition could allow batters and bowlers to achieve impressive statistics without facing consistently strong opposition. According to Gavaskar, the absence of India's international players from domestic matches makes it difficult to determine how well emerging cricketers can perform against top-quality opposition.

Players such as Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have missed state-team matches because of their commitments with India A. With India A scheduled to tour New Zealand for three unofficial Tests, further absences from the Ranji Trophy could affect the quality of the competition. Gavaskar acknowledged that India A matches play an important role in identifying players who have the potential to succeed at the international level. However, he argued that these matches should not clash with major domestic competitions. The former India captain also expressed concerns about the inclusion of all states and Union Territories in the Ranji Trophy, arguing that the expansion has affected the overall standard of the competition.

He pointed out that several newer teams lacked proper infrastructure and had to recruit players from other states who could not secure places in their home teams. Although these players had talent, Gavaskar noted that many struggled when competing against stronger Elite Division sides. In his view, the gap between the Elite and Plate divisions has raised questions about the significance of records achieved in the tournament. The Ranji Trophy remains a crucial pathway for players hoping to represent India. However, according to Gavaskar, scheduling conflicts, uneven competition and the absence of international players can make it harder to assess performances accurately.