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The upcoming season of Ranji Trophy will start from October 11. This prestigious tournament of Indian domestic cricket will once again be played in two phases. The 2026-27 domestic season will begin with the Duleep Trophy on 23 August. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made this announcement on Wednesday (May 20).

During the upcoming season, BCCI will organize a total of 1788 matches across age group and senior cricket, which includes U-16, U-19 and U-23 as well as senior level for men, while for women, U-15, U-19 and U-23 as well as senior level matches.

Changed format of this tournament

The limited overs tournament of the Under-23 category and the Inter Regional University Competition for the Viji Trophy will now be played in T20 format. BCCI said in its press release, ‘The 2026-27 domestic season reflects the board’s commitment to building a strong and competitive domestic structure. It also ensures balanced progress across all formats and categories.

The Duleep Trophy, which returns in the regional format, will be played between August 23 and September 10. This entire tournament will be held at BCCI’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. The Irani Cup match between Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir and Rest of India will be played in Srinagar from October 1 to 5.

SMAT starts from this day

The first phase of Ranji Trophy, the biggest competition of BCCI’s domestic calendar, will be held from October 11 to November 5, in which four rounds of matches will be played. The second phase will take place between January 17 and March 3, 2027, which will be played after the end of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (National T20 tournament) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (National 50-over tournament). Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be played between November 14 and December 6. The league stage matches will be held in Mumbai, Mohali, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata, while the knockout stage will be held in Nagpur.

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will give various IPL franchises an opportunity to prepare their lists before the auction. The auction will take place in December. Vijay Hazare Trophy will be held from 14 December 2026 to 8 January 2027. The BCCI scheduling team has decided to hold the Vijay Merchant Trophy (Under-16) between November and January, which will also make it easier for school cricketers to prepare for their annual or board examinations which are usually held in February and March.