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BCCI Makes Crucial Changes To Domestic Structure For 2025-2026 Season

Abhinav Tyagi

Changes to domestic structure - (Source :@Johns/X.com)Changes to domestic structure - (Source :@Johns/X.com)

On Saturday, June 14, the BCCI issued a press release announcing the schedule for the upcoming domestic season. Notably, it will be a long season, running from August 28 to February 16, featuring several prominent tournaments.

The apex cricket board of India has also introduced several changes to the domestic structure, which will be implemented in the upcoming season. The Roger Binny-led board has made adjustments to the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This article outlines all the key changes to the domestic circuit.

Duleep Trophy

The Duleep Trophy will kick off the domestic season, starting on August 28. The BCCI has made key changes to this tournament, reverting it to its traditional zonal-based format. Last year, the competition featured India A, B, C, and D teams, but this season, it will return to the East, North, West, South, and Central Zone teams.

Ranji Trophy

The Ranji Trophy will begin on October 15 and run until February 28. The elite red-ball domestic tournament in India has simplified its promotion and relegation system. Previously, the bottom two teams from the Elite group were relegated to the Plate league, while the top two Plate teams were promoted to the Elite Ranji Trophy.

Now, only one team will be relegated from the Elite group and one team will be promoted from the Plate league each season.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy & Vijay Hazare Trophy

There are major changes to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, particularly in the knockout stage. Until the 2024/25 season, the Vijay Hazare Trophy featured three groups of eight teams and two groups of seven. From this season, there will be four Elite Groups and a Plate Group for both tournaments.

Also the traditional knock-out format has been removed. Instead the teams that will qualify for the next round will now be divided into a super 8 type structure, where the top two teams will now play a final.