The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the upcoming 2022-23 domestic season. This cricketing season will see the return of the iconic Irani Cup, which was last played in the 2018-19 season. Whereas, the Duleep Trophy will start the season as teams representing six zones will lock horns. Following it will be the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“The prestigious Duleep Trophy will mark the start of a full-fledged season, which will also see a return of the Irani Cup. The Duleep Trophy (8th September-25th September) will be contested between six zones (North, South, Central, West, East and Northeast) on a knockout basis.” The BCCI said in a statement.
“The two multi-day tournaments will be followed by the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The two white-ball tournaments will be contested between 38 teams split into three groups of 8 teams and two groups comprising 7 teams,” the statement continued.
Ranji Trophy season kicks off on 13 December
The 2021-22 Ranji Trophy season had one of the most incredible endings as the Madhya Pradesh team under the tutelage of Chandrakant Pandit won for the first time since the 1952-53 season.
The Ranji Trophy will be played in one linear timeline, unlike the last season where the tournament was played around the Indian Premier League 2022 season. The format for the historic tournament remains the same where 32 teams playing in the Elite Group and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals.
“The Ranji Trophy, India’s premier domestic tournament, will have two categories; 1) Elite and 2) Plate. The Elite Group will comprise 32 teams and will have 4 groups of 8 teams in a home and away format with each team playing 7 matches in the league stage. The top two teams from each of the four groups will directly qualify for the quarterfinals,” the statement further read.
The Ranji season begins on 13 December with the Plate category ending on 29 January 2023 while the Elite league will be finishing on 20 February 2023.