Duleep Trophy Goes Back to Zonal Format for 2025-26 Domestic Season
Duleep Trophy Goes Back to Zonal Format for 2025-26 Domestic Season
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the complete domestic cricket schedule for the 2025-26. The season will begin with the Duleep Trophy on August 28, 2025 to September 15.
The Duleep Trophy is set to return to its traditional zonal format for the 2025-26 Indian domestic season, starting on August 28. This marks a shift from last season's format, where four teams India A, B, C, and D competed in a round-robin tournament. Now, six zonal teams (North, South, East, West, Central, and North-East) will be selected by respective zonal committees, as was done in the 2023-24 season. The change aims to elevate the standard of cricket and reinforce the pride of representing one's zone.
Other major changes ratified by the BCCI's Apex Council include introducing a Super League phase in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and the Senior Women's T20 Trophy. After an initial group stage with 32 teams split into four groups of eight, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super League, playing three matches each. The best two will then meet in the final.
Additionally, a Plate Division will be introduced in domestic 50-over tournaments and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, ensuring better competition quality and minimizing mismatches. The bottom-six teams from the 2024-25 season will form the plate divisions in their respective tournaments.
The Ranji Trophy will continue to be played in two phases, with the white-ball tournaments scheduled in between to reduce weather-related disruptions, especially in northern and eastern India.
Fixture clash with Women's World Cup
The women's domestic season is set to overlap with the 2025 Women's 50-over World Cup, which India and Colombo will co-host from September 30 to November 2.
The Senior Women's T20 Trophy (Elite) will run from October 8 to 31, followed by the Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy (November 4-14). The season will pause for two and a half months to accommodate the Women's Premier League (WPL), which is expected to take place in January 2026.
The Senior Women's One-Day Trophy (Elite) will resume from February 6-28, concluding with the Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy from March 20 to April 3.
Big changes are in store for India's domestic cricket season, promising stronger competition, better structure, and exciting new formats.