Manipur to play in major domestic cricket tournaments
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 18 2018:
With the approval of 9 new State teams, including Manipur, by Board of Control for Cricket in India to play as individual teams, the cricket players of the North-East States will be able to showcase their hidden talents and capabilities in major domestic cricket tournaments of India like Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and other men's and women's tournaments of various age categories.
Manipur along with other 8 Indian States, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim and Uttarakhand were approved to field respective teams recently by BCCI and the teams would form the plate group (lower division) from the season 2018-19 onwards.
The 2018-19 edition of the Ranji Trophy will be a 37-team event as BCCI has decided to provide an opportunity for one team, amongst the North-Eastern sides and Bihar, to play in the Ranji quarterfinals.
Not only this, the top team of this plate group will make into the quarter final of any other major tournaments which will feature 35, 36 or 37 State teams, besides getting entry into the Elite Group C next year.
One Day Tournaments' Format
For one day tournaments, individual State teams of India have been grouped into four with the additional new Plate group.
The three other groups has been classified as Elite A (9 teams), Elite B (9 teams) and Elite C (10 teams).
Top 5 teams from Elite Group A and B will face 2 top teams from Elite Group C and one top team from the Plate Group in the quarter finals.
Promotion and Relegation of the teams
Top team that qualifies for quarter-finals from Plate Group will be promoted to the Elite Group C while the 2 top teams that qualifies for the quarter-finals from Elite Group C will be promoted to Elite Group A and B in the next season.
Bottom two teams from Elite Group A and B combined will be relegated to elite Group C in the next season and bottom team from Elite Group C will be relegated to the Plate Group in the next season.
T-20 Domestic Tournaments' Format
BCCI has made few changes in the domestic T- 20 format and it will now consist of five groups, Group A and B with 8 teams each while Group C, D and E will comprise of 7 teams each for the league round competitions (of Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 Trophy, Senior Women's T-20, Women's U-23 and Women's U-19 events).
The top two teams from each group will meet one another in the super league round before they are classified into two groups (A and B) as per their results.
The top team from each group will be meet in the final for the ultimate prize.
Zonal Events' Format
For Zonal tournament's like Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Trophy etc each State teams will be clubbed into East Zone (6 teams), South Zone (7 teams), North Zone (5 teams), Central Zone (6 teams), West Zone (5 teams) and North East Zone (6 teams).
The two top teams from the first 5 zonal teams will clash in the second round and 4 top teams will advance directly into the quarter finals while remaining 6 teams will meet two top teams of North East Zone which consist of Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in the pre-quarter final round.
The four best teams emerging out of two North East teams and 6 teams then meet the previous 4 teams in the quarter final for places in the semi-finals.
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