Schedule and format details of the Indian domestic season 2018-19

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to make a host of changes ahead of the Indian domestic season 2018-19 as over 2000 matches will be played this time around. The number of teams participating in all the domestic tournaments this time will be 37. As many as nine new teams will make their debut as the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) decided to grant a status to six teams from the North East, Puducherry, Bihar and Uttarakhand.

The premier first-class tournament Ranji Trophy will now have four groups Elite Group – A and B, Group C and Plate Group. Elite Group – A and B will have nine teams each, Group C will comprise of 10 teams and the debutants will form the Plate Group. As far as qualification for the knockouts is concerned – five teams from Elite Group, two from Group C and one from Plate will move to the next round. This is the same format that will be followed for the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Two teams from Group C that qualify will move to Group A and B, at the same time the two bottom teams from the Elite will be relegated to C. One from Plate will be promoted to Group C whereas the bottom two teams from Group C will take a step down to the Plate.

Indian domestic season 2018-19 Schedule:

The domestic T20 tournament Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will have 37 participating teams again in five groups. After the group stages, there is the Super League – two top teams from each group will go to the Super League which will also have two groups of five teams each. The two most successful teams from Super League will battle for the title in final.

For the women, the season starts with the T20 Challenger Trophy on August 13 keeping in view the Women’s World T20, the One-Day League and One-Day Challenger Trophy are slated to be played in December and January. Along with that, there is the women’s T20 League.

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