Kolkata, Ahmedabad to host domestic knockouts

NEW DELHI: Kolkata and Ahmedabad will host the knockout stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy respectively while the BCCI will conduct two Irani Cup ties over the next months.

The SMAT, the domestic T20 event, will take place from October 11 to November 5 while the Vijay Hazare one-day competition will run from November 12 to December 2. Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot, Punjab and Jaipur will host the league stage of the SMAT while Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata and Ranchi will hold the Vijay Hazare league fixtures.

The Board confirmed that the two Irani Cup ties will be held at the start and end of the season. The 2020 Ranji Trophy winner Saurashtra will host Rest of India from October 1 to5 while current champion Madhya Pradesh will welcome ROI from March 1 to 5 next year, as per the scheduled shared by the BCCI to the state units.

Saurashtra was unable to play the Irani Cup after its maiden Ranji triumph in March 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Ranji Trophy returns to the traditional home and away format, and will run from December 12 to February 20.