The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is introducing a new Emerging Men’s Tournament as part of its long-term strategy to identify and develop future Test cricketers, according to a report by the Times of India. The red-ball competition will be staged at the BCCI‘s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru between July 6 and July 24, bringing together some of the country’s most promising young players in a high-performance environment.
The initiative is designed to give emerging players sustained exposure to multi-day cricket, allowing selectors and coaches to assess their temperament, technique and consistency in conditions that closely reflect the demands of Test cricket.
Centre of Excellence to host four-day competition
The tournament will feature four teams, with every side playing three four-day matches during the competition.
Participation has been limited to Under-25 cricketers who have represented India at age-group level and established themselves in domestic cricket, creating an opportunity for the country’s next wave of talent to compete against their peers in the longest format.
Hosting the entire event at the Centre of Excellence will also allow the BCCI’s coaching and performance staff to closely monitor player development throughout the tournament.
Domestic performers earn leadership roles
The four teams will be captained by Uday Saharan, Ravichandran Smaran, Yash Dhull and Himateja K, all of whom have emerged as leading young players through India’s domestic and age-group system.
Saharan captained India to the 2024 Under-19 World Cup final, while Dhull previously led India to the 2022 ICC Under-19 World Cup title. Smaran has established himself as one of Karnataka’s most consistent batters, and Himateja K will also take on leadership responsibilities during the tournament.
Former India Batter Wasim Jaffer, Ramesh Powar, Former Rajasthan Batter Vineet Saxena and Former India Pacer Debasish Mohanty have been appointed as Head Coaches of the four teams. They will be assisted by Sourashish Lahiri, Anshu Jain, Siddharth Trivedi and Vinit Indulkar respectively.
Smaran enters tournament in outstanding form
Among the players to watch is Karnataka batter Ravichandran Smaran, whose recent first-class performances have established him as one of India’s standout young batters.
The 23-year-old has scored 1,534 runs in 17 first-class matches at an average of 73.04, registering six centuries and four half-centuries. He also finished as Karnataka’s leading run-scorer during the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, amassing 950 runs in nine matches at an average of 86.36, including four centuries and three fifties, as his side progressed to the final.
Building the next generation of Test cricketers
The competition underlines the BCCI’s continued emphasis on strengthening India’s red-ball depth by creating more opportunities for emerging players to develop through meaningful first-class cricket.
By combining extended four-day matches with experienced coaching staff and a centralised high-performance environment, the tournament is expected to become another important pathway for identifying players capable of progressing to the highest level of the game.
