BCCI axes domestic 50-over cricket, replaces it with T20 — what changes for India's ODI future

Away from the craze of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken a stunning decision to replace the 50-over domestic tournament with a new T20 event for the Under-23 players of the country, which displays their view on the ODI format and its future, amidst the rapid growth of the shortest format.  

As of now, if the reports are to be believed, the tournament, which is played in the 50-over format, is set to become a 20-over competition in the future. A formal communication has not been sent to the state associations yet, but it’s learnt that the format change will come into effect from the next edition of the domestic cricket.     

Why BCCI is pulling the plug on 50-over domestic cricket— and why it took this long

At present, the 50-over domestic competition is being called the State A Championship and is played across the two divisions, which are called the Elite and Plate divisions, just like the other men’s domestic tournaments. Tamil Nadu is the defending champion of the Elite division, as they got the better of Uttar Pradesh.

In the Plate championship, Meghalaya went past the Mizoram side in the final at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh on November 19 last year. This new move of the BCCI will decrease the ODI stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the future. 

The multi-day red-ball event is contested for the CK Nayudu Trophy, with Tamil Nadu clinching the Elite Category cup after earning the victory over the Maharashtra side in the final at Dindigul at the start of this year.

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Even at the junior age-group level, the upcoming players don’t play in any T20 events, with the focus remaining on the longer formats like the four-day events and the 50-over cricket. Since 2020, the T20 has gained massive attraction across the world, and that has pushed the board to make such a decision.

State associations, selectors, and what the BCCI format change means for the Under-23 pipeline

That will change the aspect of India’s ODI pipeline, with more focus being shifted to the T20-over format for the players. This could be the well-documented situation of the ODIs in the current era, when the teams haven’t shown much interest in this format apart from playing the World Cups or preparing for them. 

Meanwhile, the T20 World Cup and franchise cricket will continue to grow with the young players wishing to be part of those games and rubbing shoulders with some of the legends of world cricket. In the past, there was a time when teams used to play T20s for fun after a hectic tour, but the tables have turned.

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And the new move from the BCCI has pointed it out for many other boards to take such decisions.