The BCCI on Monday decided to do mix and match with the upcoming domestic season by scrapping Duleep Trophy due to packed schedule while changing the formats of the limited overs tournament like Deodhar Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
While announcing 900 matches across all age-groups in men’s and women’s category, the decision to do away with Duleep Trophy, which was once considered a tournament used for selection trials has raised a number of eyebrows.
As recently as the last year, the Duleep Trophy was selection trial for many Indian team aspirants. In fact KL Rahul made it to the Australia bound Test team on the back of his twin centuries in final for South Zone while playing against Central Zone.
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The board has also decided to implement the suggestions given by the Anil Kumble-led technical committee where in the Deodhar Trophy will feature four 50-overs matches across five days between January 24-28.
It will be in lines of NKP Salve Challenger Trophy where there will be three teams. Just like Challenger series, the Vijay Hazare Trophy champions will be one of the teams, which will compete with two other teams (India A or India Red etc).
Now these two teams will be selected by the national selectors from the performance of Vijay Hazare Trophy.
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“The Deodhar trophy will be played on a 3-team format which comprises of the champion team of the Vijay Hazare tournament and 2 other teams which will be selected by the Senior National selectors,” the release stated.
Also Vijay Hazare Trophy’s national one day championship’s format is in for a change from the zonal to knock-out as all teams on basis of performance will now be divided into groups just like Ranji Trophy.
“Starting this year, the senior Men One day and the T20 tournaments will be played on a Group basis( like Ranji Trophy) and not on Intra Zonal basis. Being the first time, the teams have been divided into 4 groups and these groups have been made based on last year’s performance in the respective tournaments.” the release stated.
A new Under—19 Challenger tournament has been introduced in the junior level this year which will feature three teams selected by the Junior National Selectors and provide yet another opportunity to all the players to perform, before the national squad is selected for the Under-19 World Cup, to be played in Bangladesh in January.
Two new tournaments are being introduced for women cricketers from this year, an Inter state and then Inter Zonal One day Under-23 tournament and a three-day Senior Women Inter Zonal tournament, which will provide more opportunities to the women cricketers.
In all BCCI plans to hold 900 matches through the nine-month calender year which they have computed to “2100 cricket days“.
The logic behind 2100 cricket days is that on a particular Ranji Trophy date, if supposedly nine four—day matches are held across the country, it will be calculated as 9x4=36 cricket days. Similarly five one day matches played on same date will be calculated as five cricket days.
Domestic Itinerary
Ranji Trophy league: October 1—December 4, 2015
Vijay Hazare Trophy group stage: December 8—16, 2015
Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts: December 21—25, 2016
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group stage: January 2—10, 2016
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League: January 15—20, 2016
Deodhar Trophy: January 24—28, 2016
Ranji Trophy knock—outs: February 3—28, 2016.
Irani Cup: March 6—10, 2016.