Cuttack: The first phase of Ranji Trophy will take place from February 10-March 15 and the “post IPL” phase from May 30-June 26, BCCI secretary Jay Shah informed on Thursday.
The tournament will have 64 games in 62 days with the first phase comprising 57 matches and the second stage having seven knock-out games which comprises four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final.
The elite group matches will be played in Rajkot, Cuttack, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Delhi, Haryana and Guwahati. Plate league matches will be held in Kolkata.
Each team from elite group, barring one, will qualify for the quarterfinals. The lowest ranked qualified team from elite group will play plate toppers in the sole pre-quarterfinal.
The BCCI, after its apex council meeting in January, announced the postponement of the Ranji Trophy after rescheduling the start of the tournament multiple times in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases in the country.
However, the pressure was mounting on the board with players expressing their concern at the possibility of the Ranji Trophy’s cancellation for the 2nd successive season.
The premier domestic tournament was not held in the 2020-21 season but the players were compensated for the canceled domestic matches earlier this year.
