The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to make seismic changes to the Indian domestic circuit. Based on BCCI Secretary Jay Shah’s recommendations to the Apex Council, starting from the 2024-25 season, three big changes are going to come into effect.
Ranji Trophy to be split up, courtesy of Shardul Thakur
After all-rounder Shardul Thakur’s complaint about the lack of a gap between fixtures in the last Ranji Trophy season (2023-24), the BCCI has valued the player’s mental and physical fitness and decided to split the Ranji Trophy into two legs.
The domestic season will now start with the Duleep Trophy, the Irani Trophy, and the first five league matches of the Ranji Trophy. Once they’ve culminated, there’ll be a gap.
During this time, white-ball tournaments, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the Vijay Hazare Trophy will be played. Once they are completed, the remaining two league matches of the Ranji Trophy and the knockout matches will be played.
Indian Cricket
Toss, no more in the CK Nayudu Trophy
Jay Shah’s proposal has also recommended that tosses be eliminated from the Under-23 domestic tournament, the CK Nayudu Trophy. The visiting team will now have the option to decide to either bat or bowl, and a new points system will also be introduced to make the matches more balanced. If the experiments are successful, they will likely be implemented in senior competitions as well.
“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. A review will be conducted at the end of the season to assess the effectiveness of the new points system, with a decision on whether to implement it in the Ranji Trophy for the following season,” read the proposal.
National selectors to reign supreme
Jay Shah has also proposed that national selectors will pick Duleep Trophy squads instead of zonal selection committees. Not just men’s; the national selectors will also increase their involvement in women’s cricket. From the next season, the squads for women’s inter-zonal tournaments will also be picked by national selectors.
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