The 37th National Cricket Championship (NCC) kicked off today. From this season (2016-17) the format of the tournament has changed with the creation of two tiers (Tier 1 and Tier 2) based on performance in the 36th NCC.
Each tier has 32 teams which have been divided into eight groups. The top finisher from each group in Tier 2 will be promoted to Tier 1 in the next edition of the competition while teams finishing last in each Tier 1 group will be relegated to Tier 2.
The group toppers in Tier 1 will qualify for the second round and will be placed equally in two groups. The group champions will play in the final.
Tier 1 matches began today while the Tier 2 matches will start from April 19.
