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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to overhaul the domestic cricket circuit from the 2024-25 season based on recommendations made by Secretary Jay Shah to the Apex Council.
The upcoming season will start with red-ball cricket and the white-ball tournaments – Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy – will only commence after the Duleep Trophy, Irani Trophy and the first five league games of the Ranji Trophy.
The remaining two league matches of the Ranji Trophy and the knockouts will happen towards the end of the season – after the white-ball tournaments culminate.
Apart from starting the domestic season with red-ball tournaments, Shah has also proposed that national selectors pick squads for the Duleep Trophy.
Earlier, zonal selection committees – featuring representatives of each state association falling in the zone – used to pick Duleep Trophy squads but now the national selectors will be performing that duty too.
Similarly, teams for all women’s inter-zonal tournaments, including one-day, T20 and multi-day, will feature teams picked by national selectors.
In another notable proposal, a lot of focus has been given to player well-being and there will now be enough gap between four-day fixtures.
India all-rounder Shardul Thakur had voiced his concern regarding the lack of an adequate gap between fixtures and the board has listened to players’ concerns.
A recommendation has also been made to get rid of the toss from the U-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy.
The visiting team will now have the option to choose to either bat or bowl first.
Additionally, a new points system will be introduced in the age-group tournament to promote balanced performance.
The 2023-24 season saw a lot of games interrupted by fog and extreme weather conditions in the north.
To tackle that, careful consideration has been given to scheduling matches to minimize the impact of weather conditions.
There is a bright possibility of very little action up North during the harsh winter months.