Ranji Trophy

Ranji Trophy, India’s primary domestic first-class cricket tournament, played annually by state and regional teams. It was launched in July 1934, with the first tournament being played in the 1934–35 season. The tournament has been held every year since then, except in 2020–21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI; governing body for cricket in India). Performance in the Ranji Trophy is a significant factor in selection for the Indian men’s Test cricket team.

Mumbai (formerly Bombay) has been the dominant team, with 42 wins in total, including a streak of 15 consecutive trophy wins from 1958–59 to 1972–73. The winning team in each season of the Ranji Trophy plays a team called “Rest of India,” comprising the best 11 players from all other Ranji teams, in a one-off annual match called the Irani Cup, which kicks off the domestic cricket season at the end of the Indian monsoon every year.

Origins

Cricket had started to become popular among wealthier Indians in the early 20th century. British India qualified for full member status to the Imperial Cricket Conference (now International Cricket Council; the governing body for world cricket) in 1926, and the country played its first Test match in 1932. In November 1927 several rulers of princely states and representatives of regional cricket associations met to talk about forming a board of cricket control in India. A provisional board was constituted in December 1927, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was founded in December 1928. In 1932 an Indian cricket team toured England and played its first Test match.

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In July 1934 the BCCI discussed organizing a domestic cricket tournament in a meeting where Anthony de Mello, a cricket administrator and one of the board’s founders, served as secretary. Bhupinder Singh, the maharaja of the princely state Patiala, donated a cup as a prize for the tournament, which was named the Ranji Trophy for Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, commonly known as “Ranji,” a prince who was the first person of Indian origin to play Test cricket. He had played 15 Test matches for England between 1896 and 1902.

History and format

There were 15 teams in the 1934–35 Ranji Trophy tournament season: Indian Army, Bombay, Central India, Central Provinces and Berar, Delhi, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Madras, Maharashtra, Mysore, Northern India, Southern Punjab, Sind, United Provinces, and Western India. They were divided into four regional zones (East, West, North, and South). From the 1952–53 season onward, a fifth zone (Central) was created. Teams played against opponents in the same zone as them, and the winners of the intrazonal competitions then faced off against each other in a knockout format. The inaugural tournament’s first three-day match began on November 4, 1934, between Madras and Mysore teams at the Chepauk Stadium in Madras (now Chennai). The match ended on the first day, with Madras winning by an innings and 23 runs. In the final, played at the Gymkhana Ground in Bombay in March 1935, Bombay defeated Northern India by 208 runs.

The teams playing for the Ranji Trophy have changed with India’s political geography over time. Early team names were reflective of the British-era states such as United Provinces and Central Provinces, and princely states such as Holkar and Nawanagar. Several teams were forced out of the league by the partition of India into the separate countries of India and Pakistan; some others were renamed after independence and the reorganization of Indian states. As of 2025, 28 Indian states have a team in the Ranji Trophy, along with four union territories—Delhi, Puducherry, Chandigarh, and Jammu and Kashmir. There are also four teams representing regions within states—Mumbai, Vidarbha, Saurashtra, and Baroda. Also, the Railways (primarily selected from employees of the Indian Railways public-sector enterprise) and the Services (mostly chosen from members of the Indian armed forces) teams are considered pan-Indian.

The zonal system of qualification was replaced by a two-tiered league comprising the Elite Group (higher tier) and Plate Group (lower tier) ahead of the 2002–03 season. Teams in the Elite Group competed to win the Ranji Trophy and to avoid finishing at the bottom of the group, which would lead to relegation (dropping down) to the Plate Group. Simultaneously, the Plate Group members competed against each other during the season, with the top teams earning promotion to the Elite Group. The two-tiered format has been adjusted multiple times since its introduction, with changes made to the names of the groups, the number of teams in each tier as well as the tier levels, and the number of teams competing directly for the Ranji Trophy. Changes over the years have included:

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• 2008–09: The two teams that finished first in their respective lower-tier Plate Group advanced to the knockout stage.
• 2012–13: The two-tier system was reorganized into two higher-tier groups and one lower-tier group, with nine teams in each group.
• 2014–15: Knockout-stage matches were played at neutral venues. This policy had earlier been adopted for the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons.
• 2016–17: League stage matches were played at neutral venues as well. However, this policy was discontinued the following season after complaints from coaches and players.
• 2017–18: The multitiered system was abandoned, and the 28 teams were organized into 4 groups of 7 teams each, with the top 2 teams from each group qualifying for the knockout stage.
• 2018–19: Nine new teams were added to the competition. The multitiered format was reintroduced, with 9 teams each in the first-tier Groups A and B and third-tier Plate Group and 10 teams in the second-tier Group C. The five teams with the best overall results in the first-tier groups A and B, top two teams in the second-tier group C, and the winner of the Plate Group all advanced to the knockout stage, with the second- and third-tier teams promoted by one tier for the following season as well. The neutral-venue policy was abandoned for the knockout stage as well from this season onward.
• 2019–20: A limited version of the Decision Review System (DRS)—a set of technologies including video replays, sound sensors, and computer graphics—was adopted, to help umpires and teams review disputed calls.

League matches are typically played over four days, and knockout matches last five days, with teams alternating for four innings. The winning team must score more runs cumulatively over its two innings and bowl out (dismiss) the opposing team twice; otherwise the match will be considered a draw. The winning team is awarded points, while both participants share the points if a match is drawn during the league stage. During the knockout rounds, the team that scored more runs in the first innings is awarded the win.

Records

Mumbai’s 42 championships include a streak of 15 consecutive wins from 1958–59 to 1972–73. Karnataka (formerly Mysore) has won 8 trophies, followed by Delhi with 7. The highest individual score in the history of the Ranji Trophy is 443 not out by B.B. Nimbalkar, for Maharashtra against Kathiawar in 1948. The best bowling figures are 10–20 by Bengal pace bowler Premangsu Chatterjee, who achieved the feat in a match against Assam in January 1957.

List of winners

The table provides a list of the winners and runners-up of the Ranji Trophy over the years:

Discover more

• Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji: The First Indian Test Player
• Indian Premier League
• Cricket in India