One of the oldest domestic cricket tournaments in India, the Deodhar Trophy is likely to make a return to the domestic calendar after a hiatus of three seasons due to Covid, as per the tentative BCCI domestic itinerary for 2023-24.
Times of India reported that the next domestic season will tee off with the Duleep Trophy from June 28 to July 16. The Deodhar Trophy, 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.
The Irani Cup tie between Ranji Trophy champions Saurashtra and Rest of India will be played 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.
The premier Ranji Trophy tournament is set to be played from January 5-March 14. This time, the Plate Group finalists will be promoted to the Elite Group in the 2024-25 season, while the bottom 2 teams of all the Elite Groups combined based on points/bonus points/win/quotient will be relegated to the Plate Group in the 2024-25 season.
Given that India will be hosting the mega ICC ODI World Cup this year in October-November, the BCCI has reportedly hired Grant Thornton, a consultancy firm, for GAP assessment for upgradation of 15 cricket stadiums around the country, which are likely to host the matches of the mega tournament.
The board will also take steps to commemorate 50 years of professional women’s cricket in India, as per a suggestion mooted by Apex Council member Shubhangi Kulkarni in the meeting held on December 21 last year.
The BCCI has approved a one-time payment of INR 21 lakhs to V Jayadevan for calculating target scores in rain-truncated limited overs matches, as a “goodwill gesture.”
Tentative domestic schedule:
Duleep Trophy (June 28 to July 16)
Deodhar Trophy (July 24 to August 3)
Irani Cup (October 1-5)
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (October 16-November 6)
Vijay Hazare Trophy (November 23-December 15)
Ranji Trophy (January 5, 2024-March 14)
(Times of India report)
