New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS): The opening round of Ranji Trophy matches will begin from February 17 and BCCI has informed all state associations that the size of their squads should not exceed 30 members including a minimum of 20 players in the contingent.

The BCCI, which had earlier announced that the Ranji Trophy will take place in two phases, before and after the IPL, on Tuesday issued ''staging guidelines'' to the nine host associations.

"Accordingly, the number of support staff is capped at a total of 10," the BCCI wrote to the state associations.

Concurrently, the board is also allowing the states to carry two reserves given the pandemic situation.

"The teams are permitted to carry two extra players as COVID RESERVES. In case, where a Team India cricketer is deputed by the BCCI to participate in domestic cricket, he will be eligible for a match fee over and above the 20 players based on his Playing XI and non-Playing XI status in the matches," it added.

The BCCI has also provided a generic advisory on how the match fee can be disbursed. According to the board, of the 20, the playing XI will be entitled to a full match fee of Rs 2.4 lakh each and the remaining nine will get 50 percent of it.

The board has stipulated that the reporting date for each team is February 10 from when the squad will have a five-day quarantine which will end on February 14. After practice for two days, the first-round matches will start on February 17, a Cricbuzz report said.

Nine centres -- Cuttack, Rajkot, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Delhi, Haryana, Guwahati and Kolkata -- are hosting the Ranji Trophy matches of the two-phased tournament this season.

Each team is allowed three league matches and the first phase ends with a pre-quarterfinal match between the lowest-ranked team in the Elite division and the highest-ranked side in Plate. The pre-quarterfinals will be held from March 12 to 16.

Matches from the quarter-finals onwards will be held after the IPL - from May 30 to June 26.