New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday unveiled the schedule for the 2026-27 domestic season, confirming that Ranji Trophy Will continue to follow the two-phase format. The premier first-class tournament is slated to begin on October 11, while the domestic calendar begins on August 23 with the Dileep Trophy.The upcoming season will see a whopping 1,788 matches across multiple categories in men’s and women’s cricket. These competitions will cover the U-16, U-19, U-23 and Senior tournaments in the men’s circuit, as well as the U-15, U-19, U-23 and senior competitions in the women’s structure.In another notable change, the BCCI has decided to shift the U-23 ODI tournament and the inter-zonal university competition for the Wazi Trophy to the T20 format in line with the changing demands of the modern game.“The 2026-27 domestic season reflects BCCI’s continued commitment to build a strong and competitive domestic structure while ensuring balanced growth across formats and categories,” the board said in a release.The Duleep Trophy, which has reverted to a zonal format, will be played between August 23 and September 10. The entire tournament will be held at BCCI’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.The Irani Cup between Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir and Rest of India will be played in Srinagar from October 1 to 5.The first leg of the BCCI’s domestic calendar’s blue-collar event – the Ranji Trophy – will take place between October 11 and November 5, with four rounds.The second phase will take place between 17th January and 3rd March 2027 after the completion of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (National T20) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (National 50 Over Meet).SMAT will be conducted between 14th November to 6th December. The four venues for the league stage are Mumbai, Mohali, Vizag and Kolkata. The knockout stage will be held in Nagpur.The timing of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will give talent scouts an opportunity to prepare their lists ahead of the IPL auction which will be held sometime in December.The Vijay Hazare Trophy will be held from 14 December 2026 to 8 January 2027.A good decision taken by the BCCI scheduling team is to play the Vijay Merchant Trophy (U16) from November to January, which will improve the scheduling and preparation of the players.It also helps school cricketers prepare for their annual or board exams which are usually held in February and March. (With in-outs from PTI)
