The BCCI has made a significant decision to modify the format of domestic cricket, particularly for one-day tournaments. The changes will be seen in the upcoming domestic season, which commences with the Duleep Trophy on August 28, 2025. The new format will include a plate group system in the domestic one-day tournaments. The Duleep Trophy will kick off with two matches on August 28, featuring North Zone against East Zone, and Central Zone against North East Zone.
The changes extend to the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Senior Women’s One Day Trophy, and Under-23 Men’s State A Trophy, where teams will be grouped into four elite groups and one plate group. The six lowest-ranked teams will be placed in the plate group. Previously, only two teams would progress from the plate group, while two would be relegated. Now, only one team will be promoted or relegated. Furthermore, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Senior Women’s T20 Trophy will replace the knockout stage with a Super League stage.
This follows the decision to implement an elite and plate group format in the Ranji Trophy, with the 2025-26 season starting in October.
The main reason for these alterations is to strengthen domestic cricket. The BCCI wants to improve the overall performance of every team, which will help bring out more quality players. The domestic season will start with the Duleep Trophy on August 28th and go on until the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy on April 3rd, 2026. This will benefit all teams in both men’s and women’s cricket and will offer players a chance to get selected for the national team as the Indian team will play several important ODI matches in 2026.