Test Twenty” Set to Redefine Cricket as the Sport’s Fourth Official Format. Cricket is set to introduce a groundbreaking format called “Test Twenty”, officially recognised as the fourth type of format after Tests, ODIs, and T20S. The new format was announced on Thursday and is set to launch in January 2026, to blend the traditional durability of Test cricket with the excitement of T20.
Continuity to test cricket
The Test Twenty format will have a total of 80 overs with four intervals. Each team will bat for two innings of 20 overs each, with runs from both innings combined—as you would expect from a regular test. This unique opportunity will showcase the tactical depth of Test in a comparable time frame of limited overs cricket, allowing for greater involvement by players, administrators and spectators.
The organisers believe this format will fill the gap between red-ball and white-ball cricket while also allowing for a new development pathway for young players who aspire to play the elite level of cricket. To begin, six franchises (three from India and three international locations, such as Dubai, London and the USA) will compete in the first season. The competition will have a Junior Test Twenty Championship to develop young players through experiences of competing at a global level using advanced analytics.
Icons of the sport such as AB de Villiers, Clive Lloyd, Matthew Hayden and Harbhajan Singh are supporting the format, sitting on its advisory board. De Villiers called Test Twenty a format that “respects tradition while embracing innovation.”
Also Read: IPL 2026: DC Interested In Sanju Samson, KL Rahul To KKR Rumours Heat Up
Though traditionalists have their anxieties about it, many believe this is the boldest evolution of cricket yet. Youth focus, short format, and still retaining strategy and pace are the pillars of Test Twenty, and it could change the way fans will enjoy the game – a possible continuum of cricket from the long form to the short form.
