The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided not to organise the Duleep Trophy (Zonal First-Class tournament), the Deodhar Trophy (Zonal 50-over competition) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (Inter-state 50-over tournament) in the upcoming curtailed domestic season due to the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak in the country. It means, in this season only Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 competition will take place.
According to a report published in the Times of India, former Indian captain and the current head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) Rahul Dravid and the interim CEO of IPL Hemang Amin will finalise the schedule for this year’s domestic season.
As per the report, the Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy will kick off from November, a week just after the end of the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). Whereas the Ranji Trophy will commence from December 13 and will be played till March 10.
In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, all 38 participating teams will be divided into six groups and all the matches of one particular group will take place on two grounds in the same city.
As far as the Ranji Trophy is concerned, all the teams will be divided into five groups. The top 24 teams of last season will be split into groups A, B, and C, with the top two from each qualifying automatically to the quarter-finals. Among the third-placed teams of each group, the team with the highest “quotient” will also go through.
All the North-Eastern teams will be clubbed in Group E and the eighth Quarter-Final spot will be decided through a playoff between the top team from Group D and E.
A total of 136 Ranji matches will be played this season and to avoid travelling, matches of each group will be played on four venues across two cities.