The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hosts several domestic cricket competitions that follows the first-class format. Each match in this professional category has a duration of three to five days. Alongside the Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup, the Duleep Trophy is one of the most followed national cricket tournaments of India. It began in 1961-62 and is named in honor of Kumar Shree Duleepsinghji, a former English batter who was born in British India. Back in the day, Duleepsinghji’s test average of 58.52 was one of the highest among elite batters.
Ever since its inception, the Duleep Trophy has seen several variations in its format and the number of teams that have participated in the event. The tournament has followed league format, knockout format, and a mix of both. The participating teams have been divided into zonal teams (each consisting of state team players from a particular zone of the country), elite and plate group teams, guest teams (first-class teams of other test playing nations), and board-chosen teams (India Red, India Blue, India Green). Though not consistent, several seasons saw an additional guest foreign team or at least the presence of a foreign player in existing zonal teams.
The Duleep Trophy’s latest format was conceived in the 2024-25 season. The teams are now named India A, India B, India C, and India D. Each team was chosen by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and consists of a mix of experienced and emerging players. The tournament follows a round-robin format wherein each team plays the other once. At the end of this round-robin stage, the team with the maximum points is crowned the champion.
If a team wins by an innings or by 10 wickets, then they earn 10 points. A win by any other margin is worth 6 points. A team gets 3 points in a drawn match if they have a first innings leads. If a match is drawn, then the team who does not have the first innings lead gets 1 point. A tie results in both sides getting 3 points each. No points are deducted or awarded for a loss.
With 2545 runs to his name, Wasim Jaffer remains the tournament’s leading run-getter with 2545 runs. Narendra Hirwani who played featured in this tournament between 1987 to 2004 remains the leading wicket-taker (126 wickets).
