BCCI unveils packed 2026-27 domestic calendar with Ranji Trophy from October and 1,788 matches scheduled

India’s domestic season will begin with the Duleep Trophy in August, while the Ranji Trophy returns in October and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starts in November.

Wide view of a packed IPL cricket stadium during an evening match with floodlights on, spectators in the stands, and players on the field at sunset.

Photo Credit: Rajasthan Royals

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the complete Indian domestic cricket schedule 2026-27 on Wednesday.

Slated to start from August 23, the Duleep Trophy will flag off the new season.

The Duleep Trophy will continue in the zonal format introduced last season, with six teams – North, South, East, West, Central and North-East – taking part in the competition. The tournament will run till September 10.

The Irani Cup is scheduled from October 1 to 5, while the Ranji Trophy season will once again be conducted in two phases from October 2026 to March 2027. The Elite division will feature 32 teams across four groups, while six teams will compete in the Plate division.

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy will continue with the Elite and Plate group structure introduced last season. Only one team will be promoted and relegated between the divisions after the completion of the season.

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will also retain the Super League stage introduced last season.

The same format will also be used in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy as well.

The women’s domestic calendar will also include the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy, Senior Women’s Interzonal tournaments and the multi-day interzonal competition scheduled in March 2027.

India domestic cricket 2026-27 season schedule

TournamentLeague Start DateLeague End DateKnockout StartKnockout End
Duleep TrophyAugust 23, 2026September 10, 2026
Irani CupOctober 1, 2026October 5, 2026
Ranji Trophy (Elite)Phase 1: October 11, 2026 Phase 2: January 17, 2027Phase 1: November 5, 2026 Phase 2: February 4, 2027February 9, 2027March 3, 2027
Ranji Trophy (Plate)October 11, 2026November 5, 2026January 24, 2027January 28, 2027
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (Elite)November 14, 2026November 26, 2026November 30, 2026December 6, 2026
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (Plate)November 14, 2026November 22, 2026November 24, 2026November 24, 2026
Vijay Hazare Trophy (Elite)December 14, 2026December 29, 2026January 2, 2027January 8, 2027
Vijay Hazare Trophy (Plate)December 14, 2026December 24, 2026December 27, 2026December 27, 2026
Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy (Elite)Phase 1: October 12, 2026 Phase 2: January 18, 2027Phase 1: November 6, 2026 Phase 2: February 5, 2027February 10, 2027March 1, 2027
Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy (Plate)Phase 1: October 12, 2026 Phase 2: January 18, 2027Phase 1: November 6, 2026 Phase 2: January 21, 2027January 25, 2027January 28, 2027
Men’s U23 State A Trophy (Elite T20)December 1, 2026December 13, 2026December 17, 2026December 23, 2026
Men’s U23 State A Trophy (Plate T20)December 1, 2026December 9, 2026December 11, 2026December 11, 2026
Vinoo Mankad Trophy (Elite)October 8, 2026October 16, 2026October 20, 2026October 27, 2026
Vinoo Mankad Trophy (Plate)October 8, 2026October 16, 2026October 18, 2026October 18, 2026
Cooch Behar Trophy (Elite)November 26, 2026December 29, 2026January 3, 2027January 30, 2027
Cooch Behar Trophy (Plate)November 26, 2026December 29, 2026January 3, 2027January 6, 2027
Vijay Merchant Trophy (Elite)November 14, 2026December 8, 2026December 12, 2026January 5, 2027
Vijay Merchant Trophy (Plate)November 14, 2026December 8, 2026December 12, 2026December 15, 2026
Senior Women’s T20 Trophy (Elite)October 26, 2026November 6, 2026November 14, 2026November 20, 2026
Senior Women’s T20 Trophy (Plate)October 26, 2026November 2, 2026November 4, 2026November 4, 2026
Senior Women’s Interzonal T20November 24, 2026December 2, 2026December 4, 2026December 4, 2026
Senior Women’s One Day Trophy (Elite)December 19, 2026December 31, 2026January 4, 2027January 10, 2027
Senior Women’s One Day Trophy (Plate)December 19, 2026December 27, 2026December 29, 2026December 29, 2026
Senior Women’s Interzonal One DayFebruary 17, 2027February 25, 2027February 27, 2027February 27, 2027
Senior Women’s Interzonal Multi-DayMarch 13, 2027March 28, 2027
Women’s U23 T20 Trophy (Elite)November 14, 2026November 21, 2026November 25, 2026December 1, 2026
Women’s U23 T20 Trophy (Plate)November 14, 2026November 21, 2026November 23, 2026November 23, 2026
Women’s U23 One Day Trophy (Elite)February 19, 2027February 27, 2027March 3, 2027March 10, 2027
Women’s U23 One Day Trophy (Plate)February 19, 2027February 27, 2027March 1, 2027March 1, 2027
Women’s U19 T20 Trophy (Elite)October 9, 2026October 16, 2026October 20, 2026October 26, 2026
Women’s U19 T20 Trophy (Plate)October 9, 2026October 16, 2026October 18, 2026October 18, 2026
Women’s U19 T20 Challenger TrophyOctober 30, 2026November 3, 2026November 5, 2026November 5, 2026
Women’s U19 One Day Trophy (Elite)January 4, 2027January 12, 2027January 16, 2027January 23, 2027
Women’s U19 One Day Trophy (Plate)January 4, 2027January 12, 2027January 14, 2027January 14, 2027
Women’s U15 One Day Trophy (Elite)January 5, 2027January 13, 2027January 17, 2027January 24, 2027
Women’s U15 One Day Trophy (Plate)January 5, 2027January 13, 2027January 15, 2027January 15, 2027
Vizzy Trophy (T20)February 22, 2027February 26, 2027February 28, 2027February 28, 2027

Rajasthan will feature in the Elite Groups of all three major senior men’s tournaments this season – the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy – across all formats.

For the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season, Rajasthan have been placed in Elite Group D alongside defending champions Mumbai, Haryana, Railways, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh.

In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Rajasthan are in Elite Group A with Jharkhand, Baroda, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Karnataka and Mizoram.

For the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Rajasthan have been drawn in Elite Group C with Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Chandigarh.

Several Rajasthan Royals players, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag and others, are expected to be in action during the domestic season.

Overall, the upcoming season will feature 1788 matches across age groups and formats in men’s and women’s cricket during the course of the season.

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