BCCI announce changes to Indian cricket domestic structure

Monday - 16/06/2025 12:56
The changes include Duleep Trophy reverting to zonal teams and only one promotion and relegation in the Ranji Trophy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled significant changes to the Indian domestic cricket structure, set to take effect from the 2025/26 season. These alterations, along with the schedule for the upcoming season, aim to enhance competitiveness and provide more opportunities for emerging talent.

BCCI reveals changes to domestic cricket structure
The BCCI announced several changes to the Indian cricket domestic structure © AFP

Key Changes to Domestic Competitions

  • Duleep Trophy: The Duleep Trophy will revert to its original zonal format, with teams selected by zonal selectors. This is a departure from last year's format, which featured four teams representing different regions.
  • Ranji Trophy: In the Ranji Trophy, only one team will be promoted from the Plate Group and only one relegated from the Elite Group, aiming to make the competition more intense.
  • Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's premier domestic T20 competition, will now feature a Super League stage instead of the traditional knockout format. The top eight teams from the group stage will be divided into two groups of four. Each team will play three league matches within their group. The top team from each group will then compete in the final. This format change will also be applied to the Senior Women's T20 Trophy.
  • Vijay Hazare Trophy: The Vijay Hazare Trophy, along with the Senior Women's One Day Trophy, and Men's U23 State A Trophy, will adopt a revised grouping format. Previously, the Vijay Hazare Trophy comprised three groups of eight teams and two groups of seven. The new structure will consist of four Elite Groups and a Plate Group. Teams have been allocated to their respective groups based on a ranking system that considers points, wins, and Net Run Rate (NRR).

Teams with the lowest rankings based on these criteria will be relegated to the Plate Group for the limited-overs tournaments in the upcoming season.

Season Timeline

The domestic season is set to commence on August 28, 2025, with the Duleep Trophy and conclude on April 3, 2026, with the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy. This comprehensive schedule will span just over five months.

Key Tournament Dates

TournamentStart Date (League)End Date (League)Start Date (Knockout)End Date (Knockout)
Duleep TrophyNANA28-Aug-2515-Sep-25
Irani CupNANA01-Oct-2505-Oct-25
Ranji Trophy - Elite15-Oct-25 to 19-Nov-25 (Phase 1)22-Jan-26 to 01-Feb-26 (Phase 2)06-Feb-2628-Feb-26
Ranji Trophy - Plate15-Oct-2519-Nov-2522-Jan-2626-Jan-26
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - Elite26-Nov-2508-Dec-2512-Dec-2518-Dec-25
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - Plate26-Nov-2504-Dec-2506-Dec-2506-Dec-25
Vijay Hazare Trophy - Elite24-Dec-2508-Jan-2612-Jan-2618-Jan-26
Vijay Hazare Trophy - Plate24-Dec-2503-Jan-2606-Jan-2606-Jan-26
Senior Women's T20 Trophy - Elite08-Oct-2519-Oct-2525-Oct-2531-Oct-25
Senior Women's T20 Trophy - Plate08-Oct-2515-Oct-2517-Oct-2517-Oct-25
Senior Women's One Day Trophy - Elite06-Feb-2618-Feb-2622-Feb-2628-Feb-26
Senior Women's One Day Trophy - Plate06-Feb-2614-Feb-2616-Feb-2616-Feb-26

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