Hyderabad: 

While a stampede occurred in Bengaluru, a day after Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their maiden IPL, killing 11 people, at least 274 people were killed in the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash in the afternoon of June 12.

"In light of the incident that occurred during the victory celebrations in Bengaluru, the Apex Council has decided to constitute a committee to formulate comprehensive guidelines aimed at preventing such occurrences in the future. The committee will comprise: Devajit Saikia (Chairperson), Prabhtej Singh Bhatia and Rajeev Shukla. The committee will formulate the guidelines within 15 days," the BCCI said.

It added that the Apex Council has resolved to establish a Working Group comprising five 'Umpire Coaches' to oversee the development of umpires and enhance their on-field performance.

"These five 'Umpire Coaches' must possess international umpiring experience and should have served as former umpires," the statement read.

 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday constituted a three-member panel comprising its top office bearers, who would form guidelines so that incidents like the Bengaluru stampede could be avoided in the future.

Following its 28th Apex Council Meeting, BCCI in a media statement said, "The Apex Council expressed its profound grief over the tragic incidents in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, which led to the unfortunate loss of innocent lives."

The Board has also decided to form a Working Group consisting of three (3) former Match Referees. "This Working Group will be responsible for monitoring the development of match referees and providing them with opportunities to improve their performance in cricket matches," it said.

Venues For Kiwi Series Confirmed:

The Apex Council confirmed the venues for India's upcoming white-ball home series against New Zealand, scheduled to be held in early 2026.

Domestic Calendar Confirmed:

The BCCI Domestic Season 2025–26 has also been approved. The key highlights are as follows:

Season Duration & Coverage:

The 2025–26 domestic will begin with the Duleep Trophy (August 28, 2025) and conclude with the Senior Women's Inter-Zonal Multi-Day Trophy (April 3, 2026).

Key Changes:

The Duleep Trophy and Senior Women's Challenger tournaments will now be contested between six zonal teams selected by zonal selectors.

Plate Group restructuring has been introduced across age categories. The bottom six teams (based on the previous season's rankings) will be placed in the Plate Group for limited overs tournaments.

Promotion/relegation rules updated: Only one team will be promoted/relegated between Elite and Plate groups going forward.

Tournament Format Updates:

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Senior Women’s T20 Trophy will now include a Super League stage instead of a traditional knockout.

New Grouping Formats:

Major tournaments such as Vijay Hazare Trophy, Senior Women's One Day Trophy, and Men's U23 State A Trophy will follow a format of four Elite Groups and one Plate Group model.

Most junior and women's tournaments (U16, U19, U23) have moved to five Elite plus one Plate group structure.

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