BCCI announces major domestic reforms, confirms India-New Zealand series venues

The BCCI Apex Council met in Hyderabad, announcing umpiring reforms, new domestic season structures, and a committee to draft safety guidelines after Bengaluru’s tragedy. Domestic tournaments will now include Super League stages and revised group formats

Hyderabad: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) convened its 28th Apex Council Meeting on Saturday.

The Apex Council expressed its profound grief over the tragic incidents in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, which led to the unfortunate loss of innocent lives.

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In light of the incident that occurred during the victory celebrations in Bengaluru, the Apex Council has decided to constitute a committee to formulate comprehensive guidelines aimed at preventing such occurrences in the future.

The committee will comprise Mr Devajit Saikia (Chairperson), Mr Prabhtej Singh Bhatia and Mr Rajeev Shukla, and will formulate the guidelines within 15 days.

The Apex Council has resolved to establish a Working Group comprising five ‘Umpire Coaches’ to oversee the development of umpires and enhance their on-field performance. These five umpire coaches must possess international umpiring experience and have served as former umpires.

Additionally, the Apex Council has decided to form a Working Group consisting of three former match referees. This group will be responsible for monitoring the development of match referees and providing them with opportunities to improve their performance in cricket matches.

The Apex Council also confirmed the venues for India’s upcoming white-ball home series against New Zealand, scheduled to be held in early 2026.

The BCCI Domestic Season 2025–26 has been approved. The key highlights are as follows:

Season duration & coverage

The 2025–26 domestic season will begin with the Duleep Trophy (August 28, 2025) and conclude with the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy (April 3, 2026).

 

Key changes
The Duleep Trophy and Senior Women’s Challenger tournaments will now be contested between six zonal teams selected by zonal selectors.

Plate Group restructuring has been introduced across all age categories. The bottom six teams (based on the previous season’s rankings) will be placed in the Plate Group for limited-overs tournaments.
Promotion/relegation updated: Only one team will be promoted/relegated between the Elite and Plate groups going forward.

 

Tournament format updates
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Senior Women’s T20 Trophy will now include a Super League stage instead of a traditional knockout.

 

New grouping formats
Major tournaments such as the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Senior Women’s One Day Trophy, and Men’s U23 State A Trophy will follow a 4 Elite Groups 1 Plate Group model.

Most junior and women’s tournaments (U16, U19, U23) have moved to a 5 Elite 1 Plate Group structure.