Will Ranji Trophy 2021-22 be played in a different format?

The 2021-22 Ranji Trophy will likely be played in a couple of phases. Moreover, it is also possible that the tournament will have a new format this term.

The Ranji Trophy 2021-22 has been delayed this year. It is mainly due to the challenges faced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to the country's third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the tournament might be held in two phases while a new format is being mulled.

As per IANS, the tournament's first phase is likely to start on February 13 or 17. While there will be limitations placed on the number of venues, most of them will be neutral ones, whereas some teams might end up playing at home. As of now, the competition will be limited to nine cities, with the option of hosting its state.

According to Cricbuzz, the tournament might start at the allocated centres as per the groupings, with teams divided between Elite and Plate groups. One plan suggests that the finalists will play a maximum of eight matches, including three Super League games. On the other hand, the non-performing teams could end their campaign after just three games.

As per another plan, the two most successful teams could play a maximum of seven matches, with the least performing side playing a maximum of three games. It was also suggested that there could be eight groups with four sides for the Elite Division, while six teams would feature in the Plate Division. While there were supposed to be 30 Elite teams and eight in Plate as per the original plan for this season, the latest planning might see Chandigarh and Bihar being dropped, with the Elite being expanded to 32 teams.

As for the knockouts, the top team from every eight groups of the Elite will qualify for the Super League, where there could be two different groups of four each, followed by the semis and the final. However, two teams from every eight Elite groups could make it to the pre-quarters, followed by the quarterfinal, semis and final. The Plate teams will not have a shot at the title, while the top two teams will be promoted the subsequent season.