How India's 2026-27 Domestic Season Runs, From Duleep Trophy to Ranji Knockouts

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced its 2026-27 domestic calendar on 20 May 2026. The calendar lists 1,788 matches across formats, age groups and genders, running from August 2026, with the second phase of the Ranji Trophy ending on 3 March 2027.

The senior men's tournaments are spread across the season. The Duleep Trophy, the Irani Cup and the first phase of the Ranji Trophy are all scheduled to finish by 5 November. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the senior men's Twenty20 tournament, starts on 14 November, and the Ranji Trophy returns in January.

Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup Open the Season

The season opens with the Duleep Trophy on 23 August, not with the Ranji Trophy. The tournament runs to 10 September 2026 and is a men's competition with six zonal teams, according to ESPN. Outlook India says the Duleep Trophy has returned to a zonal format and that all of its matches are held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

The Irani Cup follows from 1 to 5 October. Jammu and Kashmir, the defending Ranji Trophy champions, play a Rest of India side. Outlook India gives the venue as Srinagar, while India TV gives Jammu and Srinagar. The Irani Cup ends six days before the first phase of the Ranji Trophy begins on 11 October, so the two events do not overlap.

Ranji Trophy Elite Splits 32 Teams Into Four Pools

The Ranji Trophy Elite has 32 teams in four pools of eight, according to India TV. The pools are named Elite A to Elite D. ESPN gives the Elite group as 32 teams and the Plate group as six, both unchanged from last season.

Elite A includes Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Baroda, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, Goa and Bihar. Elite B includes Karnataka, Andhra, Saurashtra, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, Tripura, Punjab and Assam.

Elite C includes Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Services, Gujarat, Kerala, Delhi and Odisha. Elite D includes Uttarakhand, Mumbai, Haryana, Railways, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. The Plate division is listed separately from these pools.

ESPN describes the Ranji Trophy as a two-phase structure. Outlook India gives phase one as 11 October to 5 November 2026, over four rounds, and India TV gives the same window for the first leg.

The sources describe the end of phase two differently. Outlook India gives 3 March 2027. ESPN says the phase runs into February. India TV gives the league matches of the second leg as 17 January to 4 February, with the Elite knockouts from 9 February to 3 March.

Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Fill the Gap Between Ranji Phases

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the senior men's Twenty20 tournament, runs from 14 November to 6 December 2026. Outlook India gives the league-stage venues as Mumbai, Mohali, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata, with Nagpur hosting the knockouts. India TV gives the knockouts as starting on 30 November.

Outlook India reports that the tournament's timing is meant to let scouts prepare before the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, which it expects sometime in December.

The Vijay Hazare Trophy, the senior men's 50-over tournament, runs from 14 December 2026 to 8 January 2027, according to Outlook India and India TV. India TV lists the venues as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Ranchi, Rajkot and Visakhapatnam, with knockouts beginning on 2 January.

ESPN says both limited-overs tournaments are held between the two Ranji phases. Together they fall within the period between the close of phase one on 5 November and the start of phase two on 17 January.

Knockouts, the Plate Division and the Under-23 Fixture

India TV gives one window for the Elite knockouts, 9 February to 3 March 2027. That window ends on the same day that Outlook India gives for the end of phase two. The Plate division has six teams this season: Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, according to India TV.

ESPN reports one new fixture this season: the winners of the CK Nayudu Trophy, the Under-23 tournament, play a Rest of India side. ESPN says the match is intended to give emerging Under-23 cricketers more competition.

The Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy Elite group is played entirely in Bengaluru and Mysuru, according to ESPN, because of January weather concerns in some parts of the country. India TV lists the Cooch Behar Trophy Elite knockouts for January in the same two cities.

The season opens with the Duleep Trophy on 23 August, not with the Ranji Trophy.

Women's and Age-Group Events Run Alongside the Men's Calendar

India TV lists the Senior Women's T20 Trophy from 26 October to 20 November 2026, with knockouts from 14 November. The venues are Lucknow, Pune, Delhi, Mohali and Ahmedabad. The Senior Women's Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy runs from 24 November to 4 December in Guwahati.

The Senior Women's One-Day Trophy runs from 19 December to 10 January, with knockouts from 4 January. Its venues are Cuttack, Jaipur, Baroda, Raipur and Chennai, with Chennai hosting knockouts only. The Senior Women's Inter-Zonal One-Day Trophy runs from 17 to 27 February in Chennai, and the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy runs from 13 to 28 March in Dehradun.

Outlook India lists age-group competitions for men at Under-16, Under-19, Under-23 and senior level, and for women at Under-15, Under-19, Under-23 and senior level. ESPN says the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy has moved earlier, running from November to January.

ESPN says the Men's Under-23 State A Trophy and the Vizzy Trophy for university teams have moved from one-day to T20 format. Outlook India describes the Under-23 white-ball competition and the inter-zonal university meet for the Vizzy Trophy as moving to T20 format going forward.

Where the Calendar Stands on 10 November

As of 10 November 2026, the Duleep Trophy, the Irani Cup and the first Ranji Trophy phase are all in the past on the published schedule. The last of those windows closed on 5 November. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy starts on 14 November, four days after this date.

The next Ranji Trophy fixtures are in January 2027, with the phase two league matches scheduled from 17 January. ESPN and Outlook India both put the season at 1,788 matches.