Duleep Trophy 2025: Fans Slam BCCI Over No Live Telecast Of Domestic Tournament, Term It 'Outrageous'

The 2025-26 Indian domestic cricket season has begun with the ongoing Duldeep Trophy 2025, which is currently underway at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground in Bengaluru on Thursday, August 28. The Zonal teams, East Zone, West Zone, South Zone, North East Zone, and Central Zone vie for the prestigious silverware.

North Zone and East Zone have locked horns in quarterfinal 1, while Central Zone is taking on North East Zone in the 2nd quarterfinal of the tournament. The South Zone and West Zone will play in two different semifinals against the winner of both quarterfinals, with the final scheduled to be played in the second week of September, marking the conclusion of the opening tournament of India's domestic season.

The prestigious Duleep Trophy traditionally serves as the curtain-raiser to India's domestic cricket calendar before the Ranji Trophy, and provides a platform for players to push their case for national selection.

No live telecast for Duleep Trophy

As the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals are underway at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground in Bengaluru, there is no live telecast of the domestic tournament. Despite the Indian cricket board being tied up with a broadcaster for cricket matches in India, international or domestic, the opening tournament of India's domestic season has been left without live coverage.

On the eve of quarterfinals, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Domestic took to their X handle and wrote,“Ready, set, cricket! New Domestic Season, renewed energy, fresh battles - it all starts with the #DuleepTrophy. Follow all the live scores only on and the BCCI Official Apps.”

However, there was no mention of the live telecast or streaming arrangements.

Ready, set, cricket! 🏏New Domestic Season, renewed energy, fresh battles - it all starts with the #DuleepTrophy Follow all the live scores only on 💻 and the BCCI Official Apps 📱@IDFCFIRSTBank twitter/y3501wpuUw

- BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) August 27, 2025

Duldeep Trophy is one of the prestigious domestic red-ball tournaments in India, having started in 1961, and has historically been one of the key stages, alongside Ranji Trophy, for cricketers to showcase their skills and stake a claim for higher honours, including a selection to the national team.

Several Indian greats, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dilip Vengsarkar, and others, have featured in the tournament while representing respective zonal teams.

Fans slam BCCI over no live telecast of the Duleep Trophy

As the BCCI decided not to live telecast the ongoing Duldeep Trophy, the fans expressed their anger on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), calling it disrespectful to a prestigious domestic cricket tournament.

Taking to their X handles, Indian cricket fans lambasted the BCCI for no live telecast of the Duleep Trophy, terming it 'Outrageous' and 'Unfair' for fans, who wish to see the matches live, especially when top cricketers are taking part in the prestigious tournament. Others stated that despite the BCCI being the richest board, proper arrangements for a live telecast or streaming of the Duleep Trophy have still not been made.

Duleep Trophy should have been streamed. There's a local football tournament going on in my area, that is also being streamed in HD quality. One of India's premier domestic tournaments, and fans can just see the scorecard. Unfair on fans, unfair on players as well.

- Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) August 28, 2025

In an era where even the smallest tennis ball tournaments are streamed live, it's outrageous that BCCI doesn't broadcast the Duleep Trophy, a premier first-class tournament that kicks off India's domestic season. Truly awful.

- Kaushik Kashyap (@CricKaushik_) August 28, 2025

I'm hearing the prestigious #DuleepTrophy won't be streamed live. It is just unacceptable. The top domestic tournament, which will feature some of India's stars won't even be streamed. What to say? These days even gully cricket matches are streamed live on social media.

- Mohsin Kamal (@64MohsinKamal) August 27, 2025

No telecast for the Duleep Trophy Quarter Final matches. Shameful yet again from @BCCI @BCCIdomestic Richest Board in the World and can't even telecast their premiere Domestic tournaments.#DuleepTrophy2025

- The Reverse Sweep (@trspodcastt) August 28, 2025

Had the BCCI outsourced the streaming to the broadcasters of one of the many regional T20 tournaments in India, we could have watched Duleep Trophy matches live.

- Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) August 28, 2025

No live streaming of the #DuleepTrophy. No spectators allowed. Why on earth are they even playing? This just seems to be a perfunctorily organised tournament only to fill the calendar. Why @BCCI? Even district level tennis ball tournaments are being live-streamed on YouTube.

- Ramachandra.M| ರಾಮಚಂದ್ರ.ಎಮ್ (@nanuramu) August 28, 2025

BCCI isn't streaming Duleep Trophy matches. What's the point of this tournament when we can't watch the big players of our country play? Even the scoreboard is not updating on time Jurel came for the toss but suddenly he's out of the playing XI experience so far

- RCBXTRA (@RCBXTRAOFFICIAL) August 28, 2025

All that talk about ending Superstar Culture from Indian cricket and prioritizing 'Domestic cricket' is just nonsense when BCCI can't even telecast a tournament like Duleep Trophy make things worse, it's not even being streamed online for cricket fans.

- Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) August 28, 2025

It's really sad that Duleep Trophy is not telecasted or streamed anywhere. Such an important tournament, many high profile talents showing their skills but fans can't watch the premier Indian domestic tournament. 🤦

- Bhawana (@cricbhawana) August 28, 2025

Last nail on the coffin for domestic cricket. Duleep Trophy is not being broadcasted. Pujara is right. If a youngster wants to enter red ball cricket, best way is to perform in IPL.

- TANYA (@tanitiwari16) August 28, 2025

The ongoing Duleep Trophy has the presence of top players, including Mohammed Shami, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Rajat Patidar, Ishan Kishan, Sarfaraz Khan, and Devdutt Padikkal.

After India's Border-Gavaskar Trophy series defeat to Australia in January this year, the BCCI has made it mandatory for all the contracted players to participate in domestic cricket in order to be considered sfor election for international matches. The decision was backed by head coach Gautam Gambhir

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