BCCI has dropped the annual Deodhar Trophy tournament for the 2009-10 season because of a crammed domestic schedule.

The decision was taken by the Tour Programmes and Fixtures Committee of the Indian Cricket Board, which met on Wednesday to chalk out the domestic schedule besides finalising the venues for the seven-match ODI series between India and Australia in October-November.

"Deodhar has been dropped because of the tight schedule (of domestic cricket)", said a BCCI source.

The tournament, named after one of the doyens of domestic cricket Prof D B Dodhar who died aged 101 in 1993, has been held every year since its inception in 1973-74 as a 60-over event to fine tune Indian cricketers in the limited overs game which was then becoming popular in England.

In 1980-81 the format was changed to 50 overs a side, which continued till last season though the BCCI made another change by turning it into a league from the 1993-94 season.

The BCCI, which drew some flak for not holding the Twenty20 domestic tournament in the name of Mushtaq Ali last year as there was little time left before the start of the Indian Premier League, has revived it for the 2009-10 season.

Next year's IPL is scheduled to start on March 18, a full month ahead of its normal starting point in April.