Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup could be back

MUMBAI: The BCCI is mulling the restart of the Duleep Trophy and the Irani Cup, while a full Ranji Trophy season is also on the cards for the upcoming domestic season.

The Duleep Trophy and the Irani Cup were not hosted in the last few seasons, while the Ranji Trophy was cancelled for the first time in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021-22, the BCCI held a curtailed Ranji Trophy season.

The BCCI Apex Council on Thursday discussed various options for 2022-23 with Board president Sourav Ganguly announcing that a full domestic season would take place. While the Duleep Trophy could mark the start of the senior men’s season and is likely to be hosted from September 8, the Irani Cup is expected to be held from October 1 to 5.

The windows to host the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Ranji Trophy were also discussed. While the Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) could take place from October 11, the Vijay Hazare Trophy (50-over) is expected to run from November 12.

The Ranji Trophy could start on December 13 and its knockout matches could be played from February 1 next year. According to one of the formats discussed, there could be four groups of eight ‘Elite’ teams and one group of six ‘Plate’ teams in the Ranji Trophy. Thus, each team would get to play at least seven matches in the group stage, like the earlier times.

In order to win the Ranji Trophy, a team will have to play a minimum of 10 matches, which makes the tournament more competitive.