Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the lack of importance given to the Ranji Trophy compared to the white-ball domestic formats amid the 2026 Duleep Trophy as well. The 2026-27 Ranji Trophy will be divided into two phases as well. The first phase will take place from October 11 to November 5, while the second will take place from January 17 to March 3 of next year. Between the two phases, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) will be played in one stretch from November 14 to December 6 as well.

Taking issue with the scheduling, Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar: “After the league stage of the Ranji Trophy, there’s a gap of over a month for the white-ball tournaments, after which the Ranji Trophy knockout starts. The rhythm and momentum get destroyed. Why is the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy not played till the quarterfinal, then a break for a few weeks, and then the semifinals and final, as it happens with the Ranji Trophy? It won’t be done because the auction for the IPL happens pretty soon after the tournament.”

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“How can a tournament be interrupted to accommodate a white-ball tournament? The Ranji Trophy national championship needs to be given pride of place again, rather than being pushed around here and there as it has been over the past few years,” he further added.

Sunil Gavaskar also warned Indian cricket about the long-term consequences of not prioritising the red-ball format in domestic cricket as well.

“Ignoring domestic cricket to focus on international cricket will prove counterproductive in the end. Most importantly, if red-ball cricket is neglected, then the chances of producing top-class players will reduce considerably. Look at the current Indian teams, and you will find that just about every player has come through the fire of red-ball cricket. Red-ball cricket gives a grounding that white-ball cricket hardly ever does,” Sunil Gavaskar concluded.