Domestic cricket restructuring: Ranji Trophy likely to be played in two halves in 2024-25 season

It is learnt that a draft proposal for the restructuring of domestic cricket calendar for the 2024-25 season has been sent to the the Board’s apex council

The BCCI is likely to split the prestigious Ranji Trophy into two halves with white-ball tournaments Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy being held in between for the 2024-25 season. It is learnt that a draft proposal for the restructuring of domestic cricket calendar for the 2024-25 season has been sent to the the Board's apex council.

The proposal has been made after consultation with BCCI secretary Jay Shah, India captain Rohit Sharma, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, head coach Rahul Dravid and National Cricket Academy head VVS Laxman. Another proposal is the doing away with the toss for the CK Nayudu Trophy, which will also be organised with a new points system.

As per the new proposed format, five Ranji Trophy league matches will be followed by white ball tournaments -- Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. The remaining two Ranji league matches as well as the knockout stage games will then be held after the conclusion of the two white-ball tournaments.

This has been done in order to meet the challenges posed by inclement weather in the northern part of the country in winter months as well as to ensure gaps between matches. The BCCI has also taken into account the fact that last season's Ranji Trophy was organised with games having only three-day gaps in between including travelling, which did not give players adequate time to rest and recover.

There will be an increased gap between matches to allow players sufficient time for recovery and to maintain peak performance throughout the season, Shah informed the media on Saturday. As per the proposal, the domestic season will begin with Duleep Trophy, which will feature four teams to be picked by the national selectors.

The Irani Cup will follow the Duleep Trophy after which the Ranji Trophy will be held in two halves. In the CK Nayudu Trophy which won't feature the toss of coin, the visiting team will have the right to decide whether to bat or bowl first.

The CK Nayudu Trophy will implement a new points system aimed at promoting balanced performances. This includes awarding points for batting and bowling performances in the first innings, in addition to points for the first innings lead or outright win, said Shah. The Board will also be assessing the effectiveness of the new point system employed for CK Nayudu Trophy at the end of the season and a decision would be taken if the same has to be implemented for the Ranji Trophy as well for the following season.

In women's cricket, all inter-zonal tournaments, including one-day, T20 and multi-day format competitions, will have the teams selected by the national selectors.