Format
Five Indian zonal teams regularly take part in the Duleep Trophy – North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone and Central Zone.
The original format was that the five teams played each other on a knock-out basis. From the 1993–94 season, the competition converted to a league format.
For the 2002–03 season, the zonal teams were replaced by 5 new teams – Elite A, Elite B, Elite C, Plate A and Plate B. These teams were constructed from the new Elite Group and Plate Group divisions which had been introduced into the Ranji Trophy that season. However, this format lasted for only one season as it was felt that the new teams lacked a sense of identity.
From the 2003–04 season until 2008, the five original zonal teams competed along with a sixth guest team which was a touring foreign team. The first guest team was England A in 2003–04.
Since, the format has been replaced by the original 5-team knockout tournament.
Read more about this topic: Duleep Trophy