Duleep Trophy to kick off Indian domestic season; two-phase Ranji Trophy starts October 11
The first part of the Ranji Trophy will be played between October and November, and the second phase between January and February
ESPNcricinfo staff
Published: May 21, 2026, 7:35 AM
Jammu & Kashmir are the defending Ranji Trophy champions • PTI
The 2026-27 domestic cricket season in India will feature 1788 matches across formats, age groups and genders, starting with the men’s Duleep Trophy, with six zonal teams, from August 23.
After the Duleep Trophy comes the Irani Cup, pitting the defending Ranji Trophy champions (Jammu & Kashmir) against a rest of India team, to be played from October 1. The Ranji Trophy and the Under-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy will continue to be played in a two-phase format. As last season, the Ranji Trophy will be contested by 32 teams in the Elite group and six teams in the Plate group.
The first part of the Ranji Trophy will be played between October and November 2026, and then restart in January and run till February, with the Syed Mushtaq Ali (senior men’s T20) Trophy and the Vijay Hazare (senior men’s List A) Trophy to be held in between.
The women’s domestic season kicks off with the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy (October-November), followed by the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Trophy, and then the one-dayers: the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy and the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal One-Day Trophy, all between December and February. The women’s age-group tournaments will run from November to January.
One addition in the upcoming season is the match featuring the CK Nayudu Trophy winners and against a rest of India squad “to provide an enhanced competitive platform for emerging Under-23 cricketers”. The Men’s U-23 State A Trophy and the Vizzy Trophy (for university teams), meanwhile, have been converted from one-dayers to the T20 format.
“The 2026-27 domestic season reflects the BCCI’s continued commitment to building a strong and competitive domestic structure while ensuring a balanced progression across formats and categories,” the BCCI said in a statement on Wednesday.
Keeping weather conditions in some parts of the country in January in mind, the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy (Elite group) will be played entirely in Bengaluru and Mysuru, while the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Tropgy has been brought forward, and will be played from November to January “allowing for improved scheduling and player preparation”.
