The Cricket Board on Wednesday reverted to the old zonal format for the Duleep Trophy tournament but added a new feature by deciding to involve a foreign team, which could be either Kenya or Bangladesh.
The visit of a junior team from Australia before the U-19 World Cup in Dhaka was the other main decision taken on the first day of the two-day working committee meeting in Chennai.
Announcing the decisions, BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said, "The six teams - five zonal and the foreign team - would be split into two groups and the top two finishers would play the final."
A final shape would shortly be given to the proposed graded system of payment for cricketers, he said.
The BCCI chief defended the selection of 36 players for the ongoing camp in Bangalore to prepare for the home series against New Zealand. "No one knows who will be playing for the country and this is the nucleus for the future," he said.
Three teams are to be picked for the Challenger Trophy, to be held in Bangalore, and the players would be selected from this lot, he said.
According to Dalmiya, the working committee also discussed the proposal for a spin academy at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore and the new 'area of development programme', which would kick off in 12 centres (already identified) from October 12.
Coaching and training courses, which would also be started in these centers, would culminate with a tournament for under-19 players in January-February next year.
The committee also resolved to convert the existing under-25 'A' team tournament to an under-22 event.
On Kanpur losing opportunities to host Test matches, Dalmiya said the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, which does not own the ground there, had been told to acquire it in six months, failing which allotment of international matches would be reviewed.
A seminar of all affiliated units along with members of the grounds and wickets committee of the BCCI would be held on August 23-24 at Kolkata and a seminar for umpires in Mumbai on Sept 6-7.
