“Test Twenty” - A New Cricket Format Unveiled | Ab de Villiers, Hayden & Harbhajan Join the Revolution | Junior Test Twenty Championship
“Test Twenty” is a new in cricket officially unveiled by sports entrepreneur Gaurav Bahirvani. This new aims to blend both the traditional and new-age cricket. It is basically a new-age cricket for those who love watching both test and T20I cricket. This new will have a one-day kind of test with 80 overs.
A lot of former cricketers are also part of this new idea to make it the fourth in world cricket. The Legends like Sir Clive Llyod, Ab de Villiers, Matthew Hayden, and Harbhajan Singh have joined as part of the advisory board to develop this idea into a reality.
What is Test Twenty?
This “Test Twenty” will be like a test match, and each team bats twice, it will be an 80-overs game that includes four innings (2 each side). Like Test cricket, the match result will be win, loss, tie, or a draw, and it will have a mix of both Test and T20I cricket; it is in process.
The press release of the tournament, “Each team bats twice, just like in a Test match, reviving the art of building a game while keeping play concise, dynamic and broadcast-friendly. The rules of both Test and T20 cricket apply, with a few redefined adjustments to suit the new format. Matches can conclude in a win, loss, tie, or draw.”
A Platform for Young Talents:
As per Gaurav Bahirvani, the “Test Twenty” focus is on the 13-19 age group players. The initiative aims to discover, train, and prepare the next generation of cricketers through a new ecosystem and format.
Gaurav Bahiravni explained, “What the NCAA has done for basketball in the U.S., we are creating the NCAA-equivalent for global cricket. We’re building a connected talent ecosystem that gives every young player, regardless of gender or geography,a fair path to recognition.”
AI in cricket:
The organization is also introducing AI into cricket - adding AI-powered scouting systems and motion sensors to track player's performance. With this, a full record of players can be evaluated and which helps coaches and players to analyse their performance and improve their games.
Junior Test Twenty Championship
The Junior Test Twenty Championship (JTTC) is all set to play in India, and it will start around January 2026. It will feature six teams - three from India and three international franchises from Dubai, London, and the United States.
Each team will have a 16-palyer squad (8 Indian + 8 International), with 96 players drafted through auction. Another 204 players from the Wildcard Pool will be allowed in mid-season call-ups.
The Winning team will be Juniors Test Twenty Champions; however, the new “Test twenty” is only for the 13-19 year-old players, and later, in the second season, the women’s will also be introduced.
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