Deodhar Trophy returns after hiatus of three years; Ranji Trophy to begin on 5th January 2024 - Reports

Tentative dates for Indian domestic cricket season revealed, Ranji Trophy to begin on 5th January 2024.

Indian cricket’s 2023-24 domestic season will kick-start with the Duleep Trophy tournament starting on June 28, while the flagship Ranji Trophy set to commence on January 5, next year. The season will also feature the return of the Deodhar Trophy tournament after a three-year hiatus.

The Deodhar Trophy, one of the oldest one-day domestic tournaments in the country, will return to the calendar, set to return in the zonal format — with six zones vying for it — will be played from July 24 to August 3. The last edition of the Deodhar Trophy was played in Ranchi, between India A, B & C, in Oct-Nov 2019.

Irani Cup will also be featured in BCCI’s domestic calendar as Ranji Trophy champions Saurashtra and Rest of India will clash at Rajkot from October 1-5. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be held from October 16-November 6 while the Vijay Hazare Trophy will take place from November 23-December 15.

Ranji Trophy To Be Played From January 5-March 14, 2024

Meanwhile, the premier Indian domestic First-Class cricket tournament, the Ranji Trophy will be held from January 5-March 14. The league stage will be played from January 5 to February 19, while the knock-out round will be from February 23 to March 14. The duration of the tourney is for 70 days.

The league matches of the plate group will be held between January 5 and February 5 while the knock-out round will be played from February 9-22.

Each of the four elite groups will be made up of eight teams, while the lone plate group will have six teams. The two top teams from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals. In the plate group, the top four teams out of the six will qualify for the semifinals.

The finalists from the two plate groups will be promoted to the elite group next season (2024-25). And the bottom two teams from all Elite groups combined based on points/bonus points/wins/quotient will be relegated to the plate group in 2024-25 season.

The senior women’s season will begin with the national T20 championships to be played between October 19 to November 9, followed by Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy from November 24 to December 4. Women’s one-day trophy will be played between January 4-26.

The Women’s T20 trophy and one-day trophy will have five groups — two with eight teams and three with seven teams.