Ranji Trophy 2021: Delhi, Mumbai & Karnataka in group of death – Domestic heavyweights Mumbai, Karnataka and Delhi have been clubbed in virtual “group of Death” in the Ranji Trophy, which will start from January 5 next year. Along with the multiple time Ranji champions are Hyderabad, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand in the Elite group C. All the knockout matches will be held in Kolkata.- Follow insidesport.co for all updates from BCCI Domestic season
Defending champions Saurashtra are clubbed with Tamil Nadu, Railways, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Goa in Elite group D. Last year’s runners-up Bengal has a relatively easy group (Elite B) with Vidarbha, Haryana, Kerala, Tripura and Rajasthan.
Another interesting group will be Elite group A that has Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Services and Assam.
The Elite E group has Andhra, Uttar Pradesh, Baroda, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Pondicherry.
The Plate group will comprise Chandigarh, Meghalaya, Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh.
Ranji Trophy 2021: Kolkata to host playoffs, Heavyweights Delhi, Mumbai & Karnataka in group of death
Ranji Trophy 2021: The six cities where matches will be played are Mumbai (Elite A), Bengaluru (Elite B), Bengaluru (Elite C), Ahmedabad (Elite D), Trivandrum (Elite E) and Chennai (Plate). There will be a five-day quarantine for teams ahead of each game.
The BCCI had earlier decided that each squad for the upcoming domestic season can have a maximum of 30 members comprising of a minimum of 20 players. Accordingly, the number of support staff is capped at a total of 10. The season starts with the Women’s U-19 tournament and the Syed Mushtaq Ali gets underway from October 27. The coveted Ranji Trophy gets underway from January 5.
Ranji Trophy 2021: The board has informed state associations to pick a team physician in each of the squads to manage COVID related issues. The team physician is separate from the team physiotherapist and is inclusive of the 10 support staff. The last date for the inter-state transfer and registration of guest players will be 15 days prior to the start of the specific tournament.
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BCCI Domestic season: As for the grouping and qualification system for the tournaments, for Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, there will be five Elite Groups consisting of six teams each and one Plate Group with eight teams. There will be five matches per team across all groups. The winner of the five Elite Groups will make it directly to the quarter-finals.
Ranji Trophy 2021: The second-placed teams from each Elite Group and the winner of the Plate Group will play three pre-quarterfinals and the three winners will complete the quarters line-up. For the senior Women’s One Day, T20, and Women’s Under 19 (One-Day), there will be five Elite Groups consisting of six teams and one Plate Group consisting of six teams.
Ranji Trophy 2021 Groups:
| Groups | Teams | Venue |
| Elite Group A | Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Services and Assam | Mumbai |
| Elite Group B | Bengal, Vidarbha, Haryana, Kerala, Tripura and Rajasthan | Bengaluru |
| Elite Group C | Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka, Hyderabad, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand | Bengaluru |
| Elite Group D | Saurashtra, Tamil Nadu, Railways, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Goa | Ahmedabad |
| Elite Group E | Andhra, Uttar Pradesh, Baroda, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Pondicherry | Trivandrum |
| Plate Division | Chandigarh, Meghalaya, Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh | Chennai |
BCCI domestic season: Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare
Meanwhile, the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament is likely start from November 4 at six centres. They are Delhi, Haryana, Baroda, Guwahati, Lucknow and Vijaywada. Delhi will host the knockout matches from November 16. The final is slated to take place on November 22. Meanwhile, the Vijay Hazare Trophy is expected to run from December 8 to 27.
BCCI Domestic season: State A one-day competition could be held from November 20 to December 10. The matches will take place in Mohali, Guwahati, Mohali, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pondicherry and Rajkot. The knockout will be held in Bangalore.
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