BCCI announces 2025-26 domestic cricket season: Full schedule, groups, dates and key changes
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (
BCCI
) has announced the complete domestic cricket schedule for the 2025-26 season, introducing new group structures and changes to tournament formats.
The season will begin with the Duleep Trophy on August 28, 2025, and run until April 3, 2026, when the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy concludes the calendar.
One of the key updates this year is the revival of zonal selections for the Duleep Trophy and the Senior Women's Challenger Trophy, with six zonal teams competing instead of squads picked by national selectors.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
To improve competitiveness in limited overs tournaments, the bottom six teams from last season will now play in a Plate Group across age categories.
The promotion and relegation system has also been tweaked, with only one team moving up or down between the Elite and Plate groups each season.
'The Sun is on us': Temba Bavuma soaks it in
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Senior Women's T20 Trophy will see a Super League stage replacing the traditional knockout phase, while the Vijay Hazare Trophy and other major tournaments will adopt a four Elite Groups and one Plate Group format. For most junior and women's events in the Under-16, Under-19 and Under-23 categories, a five Elite plus one Plate group system will be followed.
The Duleep Trophy
will run from August 28 to September 15 with the final set to be played at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
The Irani Cup
will take place in Nagpur from October 1 to 5.
The Ranji Trophy
will be played in two phases — the first from October 15 to November 19 and the second from January 22 to February 1.
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
will begin its league matches on November 26 and conclude on December 8 in cities including Lucknow, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata, with the knockout stage in Indore from December 12 to 18.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy
league will be held from December 24 to January 8 in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Jaipur and Bangalore, while the knockouts will be staged from January 12 to 18 at the Centre of Excellence.
Quiz:
Who's that IPL player?
The BCCI has also finalised the groups for all major tournaments. Teams like Vidarbha, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, Karnataka and Delhi have been placed in the Elite categories for the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, while teams such as Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh will compete in the Plate Group.
With these changes, the board aims to raise the standard of competition and ensure a balanced opportunity for teams at all levels across the country.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
BCCI Introduces Serious Injury Replacement Rule For 2025-26 Domestic Season After Rishabh Pant Injury
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced a 'Serious Injury Replacement' clause in the playing conditions for multi-day games in the upcoming 2025/26 domestic season. The rule will allow for like-for-like replacements for players ruled out of a match due to a serious injury. The need for such a rule by the BCCI comes after some related happenings in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant fractured his right foot during the fourth Test in Manchester but still came out to bat in the first innings. In the fifth Test at The Oval, England's seam-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes batted with his left arm in a sling after dislocating his shoulder while fielding on the opening day. As per a report in Cricbuzz, the match referee will be the final authority on the replacement rule after consulting a doctor on the extent and seriousness of the on-field injury. "If a player sustains a serious injury during the course of the relevant match, a Serious Injury Replacement may be permitted in the following circumstances. The serious injury must have been sustained during play and within the playing area described in the clause," said the report, citing the newly-introduced rule under a new sub-head 'Serious Injury Replacement' in the Playing Conditions. The report further said the latest playing conditions have been explained to the umpires in the ongoing umpires' seminar in Ahmedabad. 'The BCCI said no such replacement will be allowed in white-ball cricket - Syed Mushtaq Ali or Vijay Hazare tournaments. It's yet to be seen if the rule will be permitted in the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but the rule will stick in the multi-day Under-19 tournament for the CK Nayudu Trophy,' it added. Full text of Serious Injury Replacement ruling 1.2.8.1 If a player sustains a serious injury during the course of the relevant match, a Serious Injury Replacement may be permitted in the following circumstances: 1.2.8.1.1 The serious injury must have been sustained during play and within the playing area described in clause 1.2.5.2 above. The injury must have occurred due to an external blow and result in a fracture / deep cut/dislocation, etc. The injury should render the player unavailable for the remainder of the match. 1.2.8.1.2 Onfield umpires shall be the final authority to decide on the extent of serious injury and allowability of Serious Injury Replacement. They may consult the BCCI Match Referee and/or the doctor available on the ground. 1.2.8.1.3 The Team Manager shall submit a Serious Injury Replacement Request to the BCCI Match Referee on a standard form, which shall: 1.2.8.1.3.1 Identify the player who has sustained the serious injury. 1.2.8.1.3.2 Specify the incident in which the serious injury was sustained, including the time at which it occurred. 1.2.8.1.3.3 confirm that the player has sustained a serious injury and will not be able to participate further in the match due to the injury; and 1.2.8.1.3.4 Identify the requested Serious Injury Replacement, who shall be a like-for-like replacement for the player who has sustained the serious injury. 1.2.8.1.3.5 In all circumstances, a serious injury replacement player shall be from nominated substitutes at the time of toss (For Col C K Nayudu Trophy from the time of nomination of players). Only in the case where the wicket-keeper is seriously injured and needs a replacement, then the Match Referee may allow a wicket-keeper from a player outside the nominated substitutes if there is no wicket-keeper in the nominated substitutes. 1.2.8.2 The Serious Injury Replacement Request must be submitted to the BCCI Match Referee as soon as possible after the incident specified in clause 1.2.8.1.3.2 if a Serious Injury Replacement is to be permitted. 1.2.8.3 The BCCI Match Referee should ordinarily approve a Serious Injury Replacement Request if the replacement is a like-for-like player whose inclusion will not excessively advantage his team for the remainder of the match. 1.2.8.4 In assessing whether the nominated Serious Injury Replacement should be considered a like-for-like player, the BCCI Match Referee should consider the likely role that the seriously injured player would have played during the remainder of the match, and the normal role that would be performed by the nominated Serious Injury Replacement. 1.2.8.5 If the BCCI Match Referee believes that the inclusion of the nominated Serious Injury Replacement, when performing their normal role, would excessively advantage their team, the BCCI Match Referee may impose such conditions upon the identity and involvement of the Serious Injury Replacement as he/she sees fit, in line with the overriding objective of facilitating a like-for-like replacement for the seriously injured player. For clarity, a Serious Injury Replacement will inherit all warnings, penalty time, and suspensions that were imposed on the replaced player. 1.2.8.6 The BCCI Match Referee may, in reviewing a Serious Injury Replacement Request made in accordance with clause 1.2.8.1.3, request any such further information as may be required in order to make the determination required under clauses 1.2.8.4 and 1.2.8.5. 1.2.8.7 The decision of the BCCI Match Referee in relation to any Serious Injury Replacement Request shall be final and neither team shall have any right of appeal. 1.2.8.8 Once the Serious Injury Replacement has been approved by the BCCI Match Referee, the replaced player shall take no further part in the match. 1.2.8.9 Both the Serious Injury Replacement and the replaced player shall be considered to have played in the match for records and statistical purposes.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Suryakumar Yadav clears fitness test ahead of Asia Cup team selection
Ahead of the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel's meeting to pick India's Asia Cup squad, T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has cleared his fitness test at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in swashbuckling batter, who last featured in the IPL and was adjudged Player-of-the-Series, had undergone surgery for a sports hernia in the lower-right abdomen in Munich, Germany, in June."Fitness tests are mandatory before Return to Play (RTP) post-surgery. Surya has cleared the fitness test," a BCCI source told After surgery, Yadav had posted on Instagram: "Life Update: Underwent surgery for a sports hernia in the lower-right abdomen. Grateful to share that after a smooth surgery, I'm already on the road to recovery. Can't wait to be back."With fitness regained, the stylish batter is now set to attend the selection committee meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday. The Asia Cup will be played in the UAE from September 9-28, with India scheduled to open their campaign against the hosts on September 10, while the marquee fixture against arch-rivals Pakistan is slated on September 14, both in 34-year-old enjoyed a stellar IPL season, scoring 717 runs and was only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to score over 600 runs for Mumbai Indians in a season. He finished behind Orange Cap winner Sai Sudharsan (759 runs) of Gujarat Titans and was instrumental in taking MI to the playoffs, where they beat Gujarat in the Eliminator before bowing out to Punjab Kings in Qualifier after, he turned out for Triumph Knights Mumbai North East in the T20 Mumbai League, scoring 122 runs in five innings. It is not clear whether the hernia pain aggravated during this phase. Suryakumar had an ankle surgery in 2023 and a sports hernia operation as well.- EndsMust Watch
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
BCCI introduces injury replacement rule in domestic cricket, will ICC follow suit?
The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has brought in a revolutionary change in its playing conditions for domestic cricket, introducing a provision for 'serious injury replacements' in multi-day tournaments for the upcoming season. There have been widespread discussions about the need for a law to allow replacements for players who face serious injuries during a match in the aftermath of the recently concluded five-match Test series between India and the fourth Test of the series, India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant fractured his toe and couldn't participate any further in the game. On the other hand, England all-rounder Chris Woakes injured his shoulder while fielding during the fifth Test and was ruled out of the match. While the ICC is yet to work on any such provision for international cricket, the BCCI has introduced a new set to laws to bring about a revolutionary per the rule, any player who sustains an injury due to an external blow within the playing area and cannot participate further in the match, can be allowed a like-for-like replacement by the match referee. "If a player sustains a serious injury during the course of the relevant match, a Serious Injury Replacement may be permitted in the following circumstances. The serious injury must have been sustained during play and within the playing area described in clause 1.2.5.2. The injury must have occurred due to an external blow and result in fracture/deep cut/ dislocation etc,' stated the newly-introduced rule communicated to the state associations."The injury should render player unavailable for remainder of the match. Identify the requested Serious Injury Replacement, who shall be a like-for-like replacement for the player who has sustained the serious injury,' the rule rule will be applied in multi-day matches of senior and junior domestic tournaments and is set to make its debut in Duleep Trophy from August 28 and Under-19 CK Nayudu Trophy. Recently, both India and England camps were asked about the need for injury replacements in cricket during the Test series. While India head coach Gautam Gambhir supported the idea, England captain Ben Stokes shrugged it off as unnecessary, stating that the law could be new injury replacement rules:1.2.8.1: If a player sustains a serious injury during the course of the relevant match, a Serious Injury Replacement may be permitted in the following circumstances:1.2.8.1.1: The serious injury must have been sustained during play and within the playing area described in clause 1.2.5.2 injury must have occurred due to an external blow and result in a fracture / deep cut/dislocation, etc. The injury should render the player unavailable for the remainder of the match.1.2.8.1.2: On-field umpires shall be the final authority to decide on the extent of serious injury and allowance of Serious Injury Replacement. They may consult the BCCI Match Referee and/or the doctor available on the The Team Manager shall submit a Serious Injury Replacement Request to the BCCI Match Referee on a standard form, which shall:1.2.8.1.3.1: Identify the player who has sustained the serious injury.1.2.8.1.3.2: Specify the incident in which the serious injury was sustained, including the time at which it occurred.1.2.8.1.3.3: Confirm that the player has sustained a serious injury and will not be able to participate further in the match due to the injury; and1.2.8.1.3.4: Identify the requested Serious Injury Replacement, who shall be a like-for-like replacement for the player who has sustained the serious injury.1.2.8.1.3.5 In all circumstances, a serious injury replacement player shall be from nominated substitutes at the time of toss (For Col C K Nayudu Trophy, from the time of nomination of players).Only in the case where the wicket-keeper is seriously injured and needs a replacement, then the Match Referee may allow a wicket-keeper from a player outside the nominated substitutes if there is no wicket-keeper in the nominated substitutes.1.2.8.2: The Serious Injury Replacement Request must be submitted to the BCCI Match Referee as soon as possible after the incident specified in clause 1.2.8.1.3.2 if a Serious Injury Replacement is to be The BCCI Match Referee should ordinarily approve a Serious Injury Replacement Request if the replacement is a like-for-like player whose inclusion will not excessively advantage his team for the remainder of the match.1.2.8.4: In assessing whether the nominated Serious Injury Replacement should be considered a like-for-like player, the BCCI Match Referee should consider the likely role that the seriously injured player would have played during the remainder of the match, and the normal role that would be performed by the nominated Serious Injury Replacement.1.2.8.5: If the BCCI Match Referee believes that the inclusion of the nominated Serious Injury Replacement, when performing their normal role, would excessively advantage their team, the BCCI Match Referee may impose such conditions upon the identity and involvement of the Serious Injury Replacement as he/she sees fit, in line with the overriding objective of facilitating a like-for-like replacement for the seriously injured clarity, a Serious Injury replacement will inherit all warnings, penalty time and suspensions that were imposed on the replaced The BCCI Match Referee may, in reviewing a Serious Injury Replacement Request made in accordance with clause 1.2.8.1.3, request any such further information as may be required in order to make the determination required under clauses 1.2.8.4 and 1.2.8.5.1.2.8.7: The decision of the BCCI Match Referee in relation to any Serious Injury Replacement Request shall be final and neither team shall have any right of appeal.1.2.8.8: Once the Serious Injury Replacement has been approved by the BCCI Match Referee, the replaced player shall take no further part in the match.1.2.8.9: Both the Serious Injury Replacement and the replaced player shall be considered to have played in the match for records and statistical purposes.- Ends
