IPL 2018: Auction dates force changes in Indian domestic calendar

What's the story?

India's two domestic tournaments, the T20 Zonal League and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, have been brought forward in order to prevent them from clashing with the 2018 IPL auctions, set to take place during the end of January next year.

"(It) will enable the domestic players to showcase their talent and will also be beneficial for the franchises during the Player Auction to build their teams," the BCCI said in a press release.

In case you didn't know...

Originally scheduled to take place from January 21 to 29, the T20 Zonal League will now be held from January 8-16, while the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, another T20 tournament, will take place from January 21 to 27.

The IPL auctions are set to take place on January 27 and 28 in Bengaluru.

The heart of the matter

With each franchise allowed to retain only a maximum of five players, the 2018 auctions are set to be a much-anticipated event, with franchises eyeing the performances of domestic players carefully in order to beef up their rosters.

The current scheduling of the auctions means that the auctions will coincide with the India-South Africa Test at Johannesburg.

What's next?

The scheduling change also forced the modification of dates for the one-day limited-overs tournament, that will now take place from February 5 to 14, while the Vijay Hazare Trophy will commence on February 21 and go on for the next five days.

The Irani Cup has been postponed to March 14, while the Deodhar Trophy, which was scheduled to be held from March 14 to 18, has been brought forward to March 4.

Author's take

While the growing influence of the IPL on the entire scheduling of the Indian cricket calendar cannot be undermined, the domestic T20 tournaments will now give fringe players additional motivation to throw in their best performances with the hope of catching the eyes of the franchise scouts.