The Buchi Babu Trophy 2024 edition will start from August 15 – here’s all you need to know about the multi-day Indian domestic tournament, including its history, teams, schedule, where-to-watch details and more.
Who is The Buchi Babu Trophy named after?
One of India’s oldest cricket tournaments, the Buchi Babu Memorial Tournament, got its name from Mothavarapu Venkata Mahipathi Naidu, popularly known as Buchi Babu Naidu. He was behind introducing cricket to the Madras residency during the country’s colonial rule, and is sometimes referred to as the Father of Madras Cricket.
The initiative allowed talented local players to showcase their skills against English cricketers. His untimely death before the commencement of the inaugural edition led to the competition being named after him. Back then, it used to be India’s most popular cricket tournament outside the Bombay Quadrangular.
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What is the format and which teams will play?
Twelve teams equally divided into four groups will be gunning for the trophy. The four-day competition will see 10 state teams (including Railways), and two teams from Tamil Nadu: The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) President’s XI and TNCA XI.
The groups are:
Group A: Madhya Pradesh, Hyderabad and Jharkhand
Group B: Railways, Gujarat and TNCA President's XI
Group C: Haryana, TNCA XI and Mumbai
Group D: Jammu and Kashmir, Chattisgarh and Baroda
Who are the defending champions?
A nationwide Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament was revived for the first time in six years in 2023. Madhya Pradesh are the current title holders after they beat Delhi by 250 runs in last year’s final. Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, and Sarfaraz Khan are among many star players who will play this year.
Buchi Babu Trophy 2024 schedule: Full fixtures list and venues
The tournament will be played between August 15 and September 11. Four venues in Tamil Nadu – Tirunelveli, Salem, Coimbatore and Natham – will host all 15 matches, including the semi-finals and the finals.
The teams have been pitted into four groups (Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Hyderabad; Railways, Gujarat, TNCA President’s XI; Mumbai, Haryana, TNCA XI; Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, BAR). The topper from each group will proceed to the semi-final.
Round 1 (August 15-18)
Madhya Pradesh vs Jharkhand, Tirunelveli
Railways vs Gujarat, Salem
Mumbai vs Haryana, Coimbatore
Jammu & Kashmir vs Chattisgarh, Natham
Round 2 (August 21-24)
Jharkhand vs Hyderabad, Tirunelveli
Railways vs TNCA President’s XI, Salem
Haryana vs TNCA XI, Coimbatore
Jammu & Kashmir vs BAR, Natham
Round 3 (August 27-30)
Madhya Pradesh vs Hyderabad, Tirunelveli
Gujarat vs TNCA President’s XI, Salem
Mumbai vs TNCA XI, Coimbatore
Baroda vs Chattisgarh. Natham
Semi-finals (September 2-5)
Winner Group A vs Winner Group B, Tirunelveli
Winner Group C vs Winner Ground D, Natham
Final (September 8-11)
Winner of Semi-final 1 vs Winner of Semi-final 2
The tournament will be followed by the 2024/25 Indian domestic season, with the start of the Duleep Trophy on September 5. Find the full schedule here.
Where to watch the Buchi Babu Trophy 2024, live-streaming and telecast details
The tournament can be streamed live on the TNCA app. However, it can't be watched on TV.
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