BCCI Revises Ranji Trophy Structure With Promotion And Relegation, Domestic Tournament To be Held From October

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced some tweaks to the upcoming Ranji Trophy tournament, which will take place in two phases. The domestic tournament will begin on October 5, and a new format will be implemented, which brings a tremendous change to the tournament. An Apex Council meeting conducted by the board has decided to enforce a new relegation and promotion format. It means one team from the senior group could face relegation, while a side from the Plate group would have the chance to feature among the top Indian domestic sides.

BCCI Bring Relegation System In Ranji Trophy 

The previous Ranji Trophy format featured five elite groups, where six teams were placed while eight sides were positioned in the Plate group. Six of the top-performing sides from each group would get themselves an entry to the quarterfinals, while the second-placed teams would feature in the pre-quarters with Plate Group's toppers. A promotion and relegation system will be implemented. The matches would take place in nine venues across India.

"All multi-day men's tournaments (senior and junior), one team will be promoted, and one team will be relegated for the 2026-27 season grouping," a BCCI note said, as per PTI.

The Ranji Trophy tournament would take place in two stages, where the first part would take place from October 15 to November 19. The other half would take place from January 22 to February 1, with the knockouts taking place from February 6 to 28. BCCI is in a race against time to host the tournament, which is why they have made the changes.

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Super League To be Introduced In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Apart from the Ranji Trophy, other domestic tournaments would also undergo significant changes. The Duleep Trophy will return to zonal format, and the tournament will happen from August 28 to September 15. The zonal selection committee will elect the teams.

The prestigious Irani Cup will run from October 1 to 5. Additionally, the Plate Divisions would also be reintroduced to One-Day competitions like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be introduced with the Super League, where the qualified teams will get three extra matches. The top teams from A and B groups would face off against each other in the summit clash, while the bottom six from the previous season will comprise the Plate Group. Earlier the knockouts included the quarterfinals, semis and the final. But that would not be the case in the upcoming season.

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