Kolkata, Ahmedabad to host SMAT, Hazare knockouts; BCCI confirms 2 Irani Cup

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that two Irani Cup ties will be held this season and Kolkata and Ahmedabad will host the knockout stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

SMAT, the domestic T20 event, will take place from October 11 to November 5 while the Vijay Hazare one-day competition will run from November 12 to December 2.

Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot, Punjab and Jaipur will host the league stage of SMAT, while Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata and Ranchi will stage the Vijay Hazare league fixtures.

The BCCI is conducting a full-fledged domestic season for the first time since 2020. The Board also confirmed that the two Irani Cup ties will be held at the start and end of the season.

The 2020 Ranji Trophy champions Saurashtra will host the Rest of India from October 1-5 while current champions Madhya Pradesh host ROI from March 1-5 next



year, as per the schedule shared by BCCI with state units.

Saurashtra were not able to play the Irani Cup after their maiden Ranji triumph in March 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The inaugural women's under-15 event will be played from December 26 to January 12 across five venues including Bangalore, Ranchi, Rajkot, Indore, Raipur, Pune.

"BCCI is glad to announce a girls U-15 One Day tournament. This tournament is introduced to create a pathway for our youngsters which will help introduce fresh talent," read a BCCI note to state units.

The season begins with the Duleep Trophy from September 8 to 25.

The premier domestic event, the Ranji Trophy, returns to the traditional home and away format and will run from December 12 to February 20.

Teams could only get to play three league games in the Ranji Trophy due to a truncated season.