The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced its marathon schedule for the 2026/27 domestic season across eight categories, covering both men’s and women’s cricket, with action set to begin on August 23 with the Duleep Trophy at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
The Indian board announced a schedule comprising 1788 matches across age-group and senior cricket during the season, including U-16, U-19, U-23 and senior levels for men, and U-15, U-19, U-23 and senior levels for women.
Overall, there are two notable changes for the upcoming season. Keeping up with modern demands, the U-23 white-ball competition and the Inter-zonal University meet for the Vizzy Trophy will now be played in the T20 format. The board also decided to move the Vijay Merchant Trophy (U-16) to the November-January window, allowing young cricketers more time to prepare for annual and board examinations, which are usually held in February and March.
“The 2026-27 domestic season reflects the BCCI’s continued commitment to building a strong and competitive domestic structure while ensuring balanced progression across formats and categories,” the board said in a release.
Action begins August 23
The Duleep Trophy, returning to the zonal format, will kick off the domestic season. It will be played from August 23 to September 10 before the action shifts to Srinagar for the Irani Cup between Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir cricket team and Rest of India from October 1 to 5.
A week later, the first phase of the Ranji Trophy Elite, comprising four rounds, will begin from October 11 to November 5. The second phase will be played from January 17 to February 4, after the completion of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be held between November 14 and December 6 across Mumbai, Mohali, Vizag and Kolkata, with the knockout stage scheduled in Nagpur. The Vijay Hazare Trophy will run from December 14, 2026 to January 8, 2027.
The Ranji Trophy knockout stage will be held from February 9 to March 3. In the Plate division, the second phase will conclude earlier on January 20, with the final scheduled between January 24 and 28.
The BCCI also confirmed that the Col. CK Nayudu Trophy will be played in two phases.
“The upcoming season will witness the reinstatement of the Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy Winners vs Rest of India fixture, scheduled from October 1 to 4, 2026. The match returns to the domestic calendar to provide an enhanced competitive platform for emerging U-23 cricketers,” the release added.
The Senior Women’s T20 Trophy Elite tournament will be held from October 26 to November 6 in Lucknow, Pune, Delhi and Mohali. The knockout matches will then take place in Ahmedabad from November 14 to 20. The Plate division matches will be played in Dimapur until November 2, with the final scheduled for November 4.
The Women’s One Day Trophy Elite tournament will be played from December 19 to 31 in Cuttack, Jaipur, Baroda and Raipur. The knockout stage will be held in Chennai from January 4 to 10. The Plate division league matches will conclude on December 27, while the final will be played on December 29 in Kolkata.
