Mumbai: Bengal have been clubbed with champions Railways, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi and Tamil Nadu in group A of the Elite division of the Ranji Trophy for the forthcoming season.

The group B includes Punjab, Hyderabad, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Services, Uttar Pradesh and Baroda.

In the Plate division, Jharkhand has been clubbed in group B along with Rajasthan, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.

The BCCI’s tours, programmes and fixtures committee, convened by joint secretary Gautam Das Gupta and chaired by vice-president Kamal Morarka met here Monday, and chalked out the schedule for the 2005-06 domestic season.

The Ranji Trophy, commencing soon after the end of the Duleep Trophy around November 20, would see the league and knock-out phase being held without any break unlike last year when there was a three-month gap between the two stages. The tournament is scheduled to finish in mid-February, Das Gupta said.

Coloured clothing and white balls would be used in the Deodhar Trophy inter-zonal limited-overs tournament to be played in February-March 2006, Das Gupta said, adding the tournament may not necessarily be held under lights. The season begins with the Irani Trophy tie between Ranji Trophy winners Railways and the Rest of India in Delhi from October 1 to 5.

This tournament would be followed by the October 10-13 Challenger Series day-night one-day tournament to be held in Mohali. This was being done to give the Indian players practice ahead of the home one-day International series against Sri Lanka, Das Gupta said.

The Duleep Trophy would begin after the conclusion of the Challenger Series. The BCCI clarified that no team comprising NCA trainees will take part in the Duleep Trophy. The practice of having a foreign team ? often the A team of the Test nations ? will continue.

The Lankans would be visiting India to play one-day Internationals and Tests in October-November. The season would also see South Africa visit the country to play five one-day Internationals.

Meanwhile, India host a four-nation under-19 one-day tournament in December in Visakhapatnam. Apart from the hosts, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will participate.

There will also be a five-match limited-overs junior international series between the Indian and Australian under-19 teams in North Zone centres in September as part of the preparations for the January-February under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. (PTI)

GROUPINGS

RANJI TROPHY
Elite division: Group A — Railways, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Bengal, Delhi and Tamil Nadu.
Group B: Punjab, Hyderabad, Haryana, Andhra, Services, Uttar Pradesh and Baroda.
Plate division: Group A — Himachal Pradesh, Saurashtra, Tripura, Vidarbha, Goa and Orissa.
Group B: Rajasthan, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.

DULEEP TROPHY — Group I: Central Zone, South Zone and West Zone. Group II: North Zone, East Zone and a team from overseas.