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The Hindu
The Hindu
Sport
Amol Karhadkar

Pruned Ranji Trophy to begin on February 17

The pruned format means the Ranji Trophy will be reduced to a 65-match affair. The last Ranji edition, held in 2019-20, saw 169 games, with each team being assured of at least eight games. File (Source: The Hindu)

Defending champion Saurashtra has been clubbed with domestic powerhouse Mumbai in Group D, while Tamil Nadu will enter as the second-seeded team in Group H in a curtailed edition of the Ranji Trophy, set to commence on Feb. 17 at nine venues. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah confirmed the groups, venues and the tournament format in a letter to all its affiliated units on Friday.

The BCCI, after considering the possibility of letting top teams as many assured games as possible, has decided to revise the format. Each of the nine group table-toppers will qualify for the knockouts. The topper from Plate will face the lowest-ranked of the eight qualifiers from the Elite group (criteria to be decided).

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