For the upcoming under-23 men’s white-ball competition, BCCI plans to replace it with a T20 format tournament.
According to sources within the BCCI, the tournament, currently played in the 50-over format, will be replaced by the 20-over format from now on.
As of now, a formal communication has been sent to the state associations. However, it is speculated that the change in the format will start from the upcoming domestic 2026/27 season.
This domestic season will feature 1,788 matches across men’s and women’s cricket in multiple age-group categories. This season will begin with the prestigious Duleep Trophy from August 23 to September 10. It will be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.
After that, the Irani Cup will begin on October 1. It is likely that this cup will be played in Jammu or Srinagar.
The tournament that is going to be replaced is called the State A Championship. It is played across two divisions called Elite and Plate, just like other men’s domestic competitions. Currently, Tamil Nadu is the defending champion of the Elite division. They defeated Uttar Pradesh in the final at Wankhede Stadium on December 1, 2025.
Meghalaya defeated Mizoram in the Plate division at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on November 19 last year.
This multi-day tournament is played for the CK Nayudu Trophy.
