New Ranji structure approved

The less-debated, less-planned new Ranji Trophy format will come into force this season. This decision was taken at the Working Committee meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in the City on Wednesday morning.

The new structure has 15 teams in the Elite Division and 12 teams in the Plate Division. The Elite Division has been split into two groups of 8 and 7 each while the Plate Division had two groups of six teams each.

The bottom two teams in the Elite Group will be relegated to Plate group while the winner and runner-up from the latter group will be promoted to the Elite group. One-day tournament: The Board will also start a senior one-day tournament on a national basis.

The teams would engage in a zonal league and the top five from the zones would make a super league. The champion and runner-up would be decided on the basis of points in the super league.

The Duleep Trophy would not have zonal teams. Instead, three teams would be selected from Elite Division players and two from Plate Division players of the Ranji Trophy. The Board also ratified the introduction of 8216;A8217; teams tournament under-25 years where three-day matches would be played in the respective zones on a league basis, with the champion team from each zone featuring in a knock-out tournament. These teams would feed players to the India A teams, Dalmiya added.

The Board also announced changes in the junior tournaments. The Vinoo Mankad Trophy U-19 would be made an inter-zonal knockout competition and the MA Chidambaram Trophy U-19 a full-fledged one-day tournament featuring all affiliated units.

The itinerary for the West Indies tour of India was also finalised.

The first Test Oct 9 to 13 has been granted to Mumbai so that the home association could commemorate Sachin Tendulkar8217;s 101st Test in a befitting manner. The Board would also do its bit, said Dalmiya, adding that Kanpur, who had to forego the Test this time to accommodate Mumbai, would be granted a match next time.