BCCI to host 2000+ matches in upcoming domestic season

New Delhi [India], July 18 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced its plans to host over 2000 matches in the upcoming 2018-19 domestic season.
The domestic cricket season 2018-19 will take place in August with Duleep Trophy across various age groups in the men's and women's category, an official release noted.
The Ranji Trophy will include a total of 37 teams, out of which 9 teams will participate for the first time. The tournament will have nine teams each in Elite Group A and B and 10 teams in the Elite Group C.
The nine new teams will be placed in the Plate group category. The nine teams are Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.
The team that qualifies for quarter-finals from the Plate group will be promoted to Elite Group C in the next season. The top two teams that qualify for the quarter-finals from Elite Group C will be promoted to Elite Group A & B in the next season.
The Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy next year will also comprise 37 teams and will be played after the Irani Trophy.
The Col C K Nayudu Trophy, Vinoo Mankad Trophy, Cooch Behar Trophy and Vizzy Trophy (Inter-university competition) will contribute towards the young and budding talent of the country.
This will provide the domestic players plenty of opportunities to prepare for the IPL.
The senior women's team will commence their domestic season with the T20 Challenger Trophy. (ANI)