Test T20: Hybrid Format Aims to Revive Cricket
A new hybrid cricket format called Test Twenty has been launched to merge the tactical depth of Test cricket with the speed and entertainment of Twenty20 matches.
Created by Indian sports entrepreneur Gaurav Bahirvani, the format consists of 80-over matches divided into two 20-over innings per side, retaining cumulative scoring like traditional Test cricket.
Matches in Test Twenty can end in a win, loss, tie, or draw, preserving the strategic complexity and unpredictability that fans expect from red-ball cricket globally.
The format will initially be introduced at the youth level, focusing on players aged 13 to 19, with a full inaugural season scheduled for January 2026.
Six global franchises will participate, including three international teams based in Dubai, London, and an undisclosed U.S. city, alongside three Indian teams backed by celebrity stakeholders.
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A Junior Test Twenty Championship will serve as a talent pipeline, with roughly 300 top performers advancing to a global auction pool for professional team selection.
Cricket legends such as AB de Villiers, Clive Lloyd, Matthew Hayden, and Harbhajan Singh have publicly endorsed the initiative, praising its potential to offer a new dimension to cricket.
Test cricket continues to face challenges fromT20 leagues, declining spectator interest, and financial pressures on smaller boards, raising questions about the sustainability Test.
Bahirvani maintain that Test Twenty provides a balanced compromise, making matches faster and commercially viable while retaining the strategic essence of traditional Test cricket.
Youth-level trials planned for early 2026 will evaluate whether Test Twenty can revive interest in traditional cricket and successfully attract a younger generation of players and audiences.
