Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre to play in new BCCI tournament [Source: AFP]The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a new tournament, set to be played shortly after the conclusion of the IPL 2026 season. One of the primary objectives of the tournament is to identify the next generation of India’s red-ball stars. The BCCI confirmed the same in the aftermath of India’s recent Test series defeats, including two home whitewashes at the hands of New Zealand and South Africa in the space of a year. The Indian cricket team also conceded its Border-Gavaskar Trophy title to Australia for the first time in over a decade, doing so by losing the 2024-25 away series 1-3. BCCI to turn its focus to India’s red-ball development after IPL 2026 The BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru is set to organize an intra-CoE tournament in June and July this year, i.e., shortly after the conclusion of the IPL 2026 season. The tournament will feature a series of four-day red ball games, and is aimed to identify the next generation of Test superstars for the Indian cricket team. Also Read- IPL Uncapped Star Scripts History vs Mumbai Indians, Enters Virat Kohli-Sehwag ClubAs reported by the PTI, the intra-COE tournament will see the participation of 64 top young cricketers from the country, including India’s U19 World Cup winners and IPL stars Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre. All 64 players participating in the red-ball competition will be under the age of 25. The BCCI CoE head of cricket VVS Laxman will also play a key role in identifying the talents set to emerge out of the tournament. It is worth noting that several other coaches and national selectors associated with the CoE have also been informed about focusing on India’s red-ball talent pool. How can intra-CoE tournament help Indian cricket? While the Indian cricket team is on a generational run in limited-overs cricket, especially by winning consecutive T20 World Cups, the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2025 Asia Cup; Team India’s Test form has taken a noticeable downturn. Even though India secured a fighting drawn Test series in England last year, a 0-2 whitewash to South Africa in late 2025, and a 0-3 drubbing to New Zealand in late 2024 have further laid bare the growing inconsistencies in India’s red-ball setup. With India’s Test form in shambles, the intra-CoE red-ball tournament can act as a crucial platform to identify, groom and transition young talent into reliable performers suited for the rigours of Test cricket. India’s next generation already taking shape for white-ball cricket It appears that India’s next generation is already well on course to dominate white-ball cricket. Under the leadership of Ayush Mhatre, the India U19 team recently lifted the 2026 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup in Zimbabwe. In the final, teenage batting sensation and Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi blasted 175 runs off just 80 balls against England. Apart from winning the ‘Player of the Match’ award in the final, Sooryavanshi also bagged the ‘Player of the Tournament’ for mounting 439 runs in the competition. Also Read- Watch- Mohammad Siraj Cries In Agony After Nasty Injury Leaves Him In Tears
