Cricket is about to add a new dimension with Test Twenty, a hybrid game that integrates Test cricket’s strategic complexities with T20 cricket’s excitement. Test Twenty is the brainchild of sports entrepreneur Gaurav Bahirvani and is intended to connect traditional cricket to more modern forms, and give a unique experience for players and fans.
Test Twenty Format
The format incorporates the traditional cricket outcomes, win, loss, tie, or draw, and adopts a Super Session if the test ends in a tie. Each side will have to win as part of the Super Session, the teams will have to play a ‘one over’ eliminator. If the test is still tied after the ‘one over’ eliminator the winner will be determined by the total number of boundaries scored across both innings. Unlike traditional T20s that are focused on speed and spectacle, Test Twenty brings tactics back into short form cricket. This game plays out over four sessions of play, with each session being 20 overs and breaks in between, providing an opportunity for tactical thinking and adjustments, similar to a five day Test smashed into short form. The organizers refer to the concept as ‘Test match thinking in T20 time.’ This introduces patience, planning, and endurance into a broadcast spectacle.
Test Twenty Advisory Board Members
The project has received backing from four of the game’s most influential figures. The Advisory Board for Test Twenty involves AB de Villiers, Sir Clive Lloyd, Matthew Hayden, and Harbhajan Singh, four former players who each defined eras of the sport. De Villiers called the project ‘innovation with intent,’ while Lloyd lauded Test Twenty as a revival of the game’s craft and rhythm and ‘feels’ modern. Test Twenty is more than just about the game itself, it is a development ecosystem for players aged 13 to 19 on a global scale. The flagship competition of the initiative is called the Junior Test Twenty Championship™ (JTTC). It will take place in over 50 countries and provide a structured pathway for young players to progress into professional cricket. The vision is to create an ‘NCAA style feeder system’ for players from all backgrounds, genders, and geographies.
When Does Test Twenty Begin?
The inaugural Test Twenty season, which will have a full Test Twenty format, is set for January 2026, and will consist of six franchises, three in India and international teams in Dubai, London, and a US city TBD. Each team will consist of 16 players, including eight Indian and eight international players to bring local players and international experience together. The Test Twenty format brings perhaps the most ambitious pathway for the future of the game, combining the toughness and grit of Test matches with the energy and speed of T20. As a youth focused format, it has the best chance to engage and energize a new generation of cricketers and fans around the world.
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