BCCI plans to host Syed Mushtaq Ali in September, Ranji Trophy from December

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to begin the Indian domestic cricket season for 2021-22 with the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament in September while it was also allocated a 3-month window for the Ranji Trophy from December.

The Indian cricket board's apex council meeting on Friday also decided to cancel the Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy and Irani Cup from the tentative calendar for this year.

The 2020-21 season was a cut short with only the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and Vijay Hazare one-day tournament being held in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

For women, only the National One-Day meet was



organised. Amid a second wave of COVID-19 cases across India, the BCCI is still hopeful of conducting the domestic season across age-groups in men and women’s categories after a curtailed last season.

With India hosting the T20 World Cup in October and the mega IPL auctions next year, it is understood that all stakeholders want to start off with 2 white-ball tournaments — Syed Mushtaq Ali between “mid-September to October” followed by the Vijay Hazare Trophy in November.

Ranji Trophy, India’s premier tournament which was cancelled for the first time in 87 years in 2020, has been planned between December and March in the upcoming season.