Explained: Test Twenty - The format which merges Test and T20 cricket

Test Twenty: Cricket is on the verge of launching a brand new chapter through "Test Twenty" which was officially revealed on Thursday, October 16. The groundbreaking format, was designed by sports entrepreneur Gaurav Bahirvani, Executive Chairman of The One One Six Network, is to be the fourth official format in international cricket.

Test Twenty is aimed at bridging the gap between the long and the short format of the game. The new format has both the flavour of Test cricket and the dynamics of T20. It will be able to attract the fans of both versions of the game. Test Twenty has received in the first place the co-operation of the greatest football players in the world such as for example: Harbhajan Singh, AB de Villiers, Sir Clive Lloyd, and Matthew Hayden who besides this, are the members of the advisory board of the tournament.

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What is the format and how it will work?

The arrangement of Test Twenty brings the substance of a Test together with the liveliness of a T20. The match itself will be squeezed into 80 overs in total and each team will bat for 20 overs in two innings. With this, the full range of the grand test cricket results - win, loss, tie, and draw - are kept even though their implementation is carried out in one-day format, thus, in accordance with the habits of modern viewers and the forecasted schedules of broadcasts.

AI Discovery Engine

Test Twenty's revolutionary AI Discovery Engine — a pioneering platform that combines video analytics, motion sensors, and data science to determine player performance and potential without any bias — is at the heart of the initiative. By means of Tech-Transfer Partnerships (TTP), this cutting-edge technology will be made available to cricket boards, academies, and associations all over the world, which is a step towards the implementation of fair, non-corrupt, and data-verified ways of talent identification.

First season launch

The first season of Test Twenty is going to be held in January 2026 with six international franchises taking part in the competition. While three clubs will be set up in Indian cities, the rest of the teams will come from Dubai, London, and the United States respectively. In this way, there will be an exciting combination of local young talent and international stars, thus, the sport is being heralded as entering a new era. Each team will comprise 16 players, 8 Indians, and 8 foreigners who will together form the squad of the next cricket power.

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