Indian Domestic Cricket is once again the “Talk of the Town”, ever since BCCI urged Grade A Cricketers to play in domestic cricket. BCCI asked the players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and many others. All of them are already playing for India in Test, ODI or T20 at least. But they are asked to play in Domestic Cricket to fine their game for the upcoming Champions Trophy and World Test Championship.

Usually Indians like International Cricket, but they don’t closely follow domestic cricket. But a move like this one from BCCI has made everyone curious and interested to know more about Heartbeat of Indian Cricket – Domestic Cricket. So here is our guide to domestic Indian cricket trophies.

Indian Domestic Cricket Trophies:

Domestic Cricket season usually starts in August or September and lasts till February or March each year. The season starts with Duleep Trophy.

Duleep Trophy

The Duleep Trophy is a first-class cricket competition named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji. First-class cricket means test cricket, but Duleep Trophy matches are only played for 4 days, instead of 5 days.

It features teams representing different zones of India, such as North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone, and Central Zone. The tournament is known for its competitive spirit and high-quality cricket.

Duleep Trophy in 2024 starts on September 5 and ends on September 22.

Ranji Trophy

The Ranji Trophy is the premier first-class cricket competition in India. Named after the legendary cricketer Ranjitsinhji, it features teams representing regional and state cricket associations. The tournament has been a breeding ground for many Indian cricket legends.

This is the longest form of Indian Domestic Cricket. About 38 teams contest for the trophy in round-robin format and then knock-out format. Round-robin matches are four days in length; knockout matches are played for five days. Throughout its history, if there is no outright result in a Ranji Trophy knock-out match, the team leading after the first innings is the winner.

Ranji Trophy in 2024 starts on 11 October and ends somewhere in February 2025.

Irani Cup

The Irani Cup is a first-class cricket competition played between the Ranji Trophy champions and the Rest of India team. Named after Z. R. Irani, a former BCCI administrator, this match is a prestigious event in Indian cricket.

Irani Cup in 2024 starts on 1st October to 5 October. This match will be played between the Ranji Trophy 2023-2024 winner team and Rest of India Team.

Now we move on to List-A matches of Indian Domestic Cricket. This means a 50 Over, One-day matches Trophies.

Vijay Hazare Trophy

Named after the great Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare, this is a domestic one-day cricket championship. It provides a platform for players to showcase their skills in the 50-over format, often serving as a stepping stone to the national team.

In Vijay Hazare Trophy, 38 domestic teams play in 5 different groups, in a round-robin format. After playing each team in the group once, the five winners and the best-performing runner-up qualify for the quarter-final stage directly, while the four other runners-up play in the preliminary quarter-finals. The two winners of pre-quarter finals join the remaining six teams in the quarter-final stage.

Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024 will be played between December 21, 2024 and January 18 2025

Deodhar Trophy

The Deodhar Trophy is a List A cricket competition in India. It features three teams: India A, India B, and India C, selected by the BCCI. The tournament is named after Prof. D. B. Deodhar, a prominent figure in Indian cricket.

BCCI forms 3 teams – India A, India B and India C. They play each other in a round-robin format. The top two teams progress to the finals.

Deodhar Trophy is usually played in October and November each year. The schedule for the same in 2024 is yet to be declared.

Now we move on to T-20 matches of Indian Domestic Cricket. No, it’s not IPL. IPL is a club-level match, while for Indian Domestic T-20 Cricket, there’s a different tournament.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

This is India’s premier domestic T20 competition, named after the famous Indian cricketer Syed Mushtaq Ali. The tournament is known for its fast-paced action and has been instrumental in identifying talent for the IPL and the national T20 team.

Just like Viay Hazare Trophy, in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – there are 38 domestic teams that play in 5 different groups, in a round-robin format. The top-ranked teams in each group qualify for the knockout stage along with the three best runners-up. The knockout consists of four quarter-final matches, two semi-finals and the final.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be played between 23 November to 15 December 2024.

These are the prominent Trophis or Tournaments for Indian Domestic Cricket. You’ll find many emerging players coming out from these tournaments playing for IPL or Indian National Team.

Other than these, there are a few other tournaments for Under 23, Under 19 and even Under 16. And then there are a few tournaments for Women’s Domestic Cricket, which we will cover separately.

Please let us know in the comment if you have any queries or have any opinions to share.