Reports | BCCI to kick start domestic season on November 19 with Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

After the Indian Premier League managed to find its space in the calendar, with the tournament ending on November 10, there is a great certainty that the Indian domestic calendar will soon follow suit. According to a report on ESPN Cricinfo, the BCCI have planned to prioritize the Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for men, while other age-group and women’s cricket also have its fair share of scaling down.

The publication reported that the tentative plan is yet to be ratified which will have no place for the Vijay Hazare Trophy and other fringe first-class and List A tournaments. According to the plan, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be held first from November 19, ending on December 7, with the Ranji Trophy beginning on December 13 and concluding on March 10. The plan has been devised to allow the players to impress IPL franchises ahead of the 2021 IPL Players auction in December 2020 or January 2021.

Unlike the last season, this year, there will be five groups, with the top 24 teams of last season forming A, B, and C. While two teams each will qualify to the Quarter-finals from these three groups, the seventh spot would go to the best Quotient side among the third-placed teams. The winners of Group D and Group E, which will have six North-East teams, will face in a one-off game to decide the last quarter-finalist.