The Elite group games will start from February 16 after the Plate group matches begin from February 10 and both under-fire seniors will get two matches at least to convince the selectors.
The start of the Ranji Trophy is likely to be between February 13 and 17 and the new format would also have mostly neutral venues but some teams could end up playing at home.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday announced the postponement of the Ranji Trophy, Col C K Nayudu Trophy a Senior Women’s T20 League for the 2021-22 season.
Placed in Group B, along with Vidarbha, Rajasthan, Kerala, Haryana and Tripura, Bengal are slated to kick off their campaign against Tripura in Bengaluru from January 13.
Along with the multiple time Ranji champions are Hyderabad, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand in the Elite group C.
The Ranji Trophy wasn't held during last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the logistical obstacles faced for having an extended bio-bubble for 38 teams.
The BCCI had earlier announced that the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20 format), Vijay Hazare Trophy (ODI format) and Ranji Trophy will be held this year.
The BCCI general secretary rejected criticism that the BCCI priortised the IPL over domestic tournaments such as the Ranji Trophy.
The Ranji Trophy, cancelled last season due to the pandemic, will be played from November 16, 2021 to February 19, 2022.
The BCCI on Saturday announced the domestic schedule for the 2021-22 season, which sees the return of the coveted Ranji Trophy.
Veteran Karnataka cricketer B Vijayakrishna died at a private hospital here on Thursday due to multiple organ failure and cardiac arrest, family sources said.
In a recent article in the UK's 'Telegraph' newspaper, it came to light that the BCCI is yet to share the T20 World Cup runners-up prize money of USD 550,000 with the Indian women's team.
The 2020-21 season was a severely truncated one with only the National T20 (Mushtaq Ali) and ODI (Vijay Hazare Trophy) championships being held in the wake of pandemic. For women, only the National One-Day meet was organised.
Eminent players of the past sympathised with the current lot of cricketers, but also agreed with the BCCI's unprecedented decision to not conduct the tournament for the first time since its inception in 1934-35.
The BCCI secretary Jay Shah wrote a letter to the state associations, stating that the decision was taken with an eye on the coronavirus pandemic and the feedback from the state cricket bodies.
A decision with regards to this will be taken during the BCCI Apex Council Meeting on January 17, scheduled to be held virtually.
Desperate to conduct some domestic cricket, recently the BCCI had sought views of the state associations on the structure of the curtailed season for which it plans to create six bio-secure hubs across the country between December and March.
In a letter to the associations, the Board has suggested four options on the conduct starting with having only the blue-riband Ranji Trophy.
It has been learnt that the BCCI has already sent feelers to a few state associations where there are multiple grounds and five-star hotels to create a bio-bubble environment for a minimum of three teams.
The Ranji Trophy final between Saurashtra and Bengal in March was the last competitive game held in India before the COVID-19 outbreak brought cricketing activity to a grinding halt in the country.
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