Ranji Trophy

The Ranji Trophy (also known as IDFC First Bank Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is the premier domestic first-class cricket championship played in India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India annually organise it. The teams representing regional and state cricket associations participate. BCCI founded the championship in year 1934,[2] since then it is annually organised across various grounds and stadiums in India.[3][4][5]

Ranji Trophy
Official logo of Ranji Trophy
Countries India
AdministratorBCCI
HeadquartersCricket centre, Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra
FormatFirst-class cricket
First edition1934–35
Latest edition2022–23
Next edition2023–24
Tournament formatRound-robin, then knockout
Number of teams38
Current champion Saurashtra (2 titles)
Most successfulMumbai (41 titles)
QualificationIrani Cup
Most runsWasim Jaffer (12,038)
1996–2020
Most wicketsRajinder Goel (640)
1958–1985
TV [1]
Websitewww.bcci.tv
Longest continuous championBombay cricket team

The competition currently consists of 38 teams, with all 28 states in India and four of the eight union territories having at least one representation. When the tournament founded it was named "The Cricket Championship of India", in 1935 it was renamed after Ranjitsinhji, who was the first ever Indian, who played international cricket. He played for England from 1896 to 1902.[6][7][lower-alpha 1]

The Mumbai cricket team is the most successful team of the tournament by winning it record 41 times.[8]

Saurashtra cricket team are the present title holder by winning the 2022-23 edition. It defeated Bengal cricket team in the final at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.[9][5]

History
Ranjitsinhji, after whom the tournament is named

The idea of national level first class championship was proposed by BCCI's founder A.S. De Mello.[7] The competition was launched following BCCI's meeting at Shimla in July 1934,[10] with the first fixtures taking place in 1934–35 .Initially the tournament was named as 'The cricket championship of India', it later was renamed.[7] The trophy was donated by Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala in memory of Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, Jam Sahib of Nawanagar who had died the previous year.[10] The first match of the competition was held on 4 November 1934 between Madras and Mysore at the Chepauk ground in Madras (Now Chennai). Mumbai (Bombay) has won the tournament the most times with 41 wins including 15 back-to-back wins from 1958–59 to 1972–73.

In 2015 Paytm became the first company to hold the tournament's title sponsorship right by virtue of BCCI's title sponsorship deal.[11]

The 2020–21 Ranji Trophy tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[12] the first season since the tournament's inception that it was not held.[13][14]

Participants

State and regional teams with first-class status and owned–operated by BCCI members play in the Ranji Trophy. While most associations are regional such as the Mumbai Cricket Association, Karnataka State Cricket Association while Railways, Services, are pan-Indian.

All 28 states of India are represented, as are four of the eight union territories: Delhi, Chandigarh, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir (which also represents the union territory of Ladakh). In addition, four teams represent regions within states: Mumbai and Vidarbha (both within Maharashtra) and Saurashtra and Baroda (both within Gujarat); and there are two pan-Indian teams: Railways, representing Indian Railways, and Services, representing the Indian Armed Forces. The state of Telangana is represented by the Hyderabad cricket team.

Current teams

The following 38 teams currently participate in the Ranji Trophy:

ClubHome ground/s[lower-alpha 2]First seasonFirst titleLast titleTotal titlesTeam captain
AndhraACA-VDCA International Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam1953-54---Hanuma Vihari
Arunachal Pradesh2018-19---Suraj Tayam
AssamACA Stadium, Guwahati1948-49---Kunal Saikia
BarodaMoti Bagh Stadium, Vadodara1937-381942-432000-015Ambati Rayudu
BengalEden Gardens, Kolkata1935-361938-391989-903Manoj Tiwary
BiharRajgir International Stadium, Nalanda1936-37---Ashutosh Aman
ChhattisgarhNava Raipur International Stadium, Naya Raipur2016-17---Harpreet Singh Bhatia
ChandigarhSector 16 Stadium, Chandigarh2019-20---Manan Vohra
DelhiArun Jaitley Stadium1934-351978-792007-087Yash Dhull
GoaDr. Rajendra Prasad Stadium, Margao1985-86---Darshan Misal
GujaratNarendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad1935-362016-172016-171Priyank Panchal
HaryanaChaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Rohtak1970-711990-911990-911Harshal Patel
Himachal PradeshHPCA Stadium, Dharamsala1985-862021-222021-221Rishi Dhawan
HyderabadHyderabad Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad1934-351937-381986-872Tanmay Agarwal
Jammu and KashmirSher-i-Kashmir Stadium, Srinagar1959-60---Shubham Pundir
JharkhandJSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi2004-05---Virat Singh
Karnataka / MysoreM. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru1934-351973-742014-158Mayank Agarwal
KeralaTrivandrum International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram1957-58---Sanju Samson
Madhya Pradesh / HolkarHolkar Stadium, Indore1941-421945-461952-535Aditya Shrivastava
MaharashtraMaharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune1934-351939-401940-412Ankit Bawne
Manipur2018-19---Langlonyamba Keishangbam
MeghalayaMeghalaya Cricket Association Cricket Ground, Shillong2018-19---Puneet Bisht
Mizoram2018-19---Taruwar Kohli
Mumbai / BombayWankhede Stadium, Mumbai1934-351934-352015-1641Ajinkya Rahane
NagalandNagaland Cricket Association Stadium, Sovima2018-19---Rongsen Jonathan
Odisha / OrissaBarabati Stadium, Cuttack1949-50---Subhranshu Senapati
PondicherryCAP Siechem Ground, Puducherry2018-19---Damodaren Rohit
PunjabInderjit Singh Bindra Stadium, Mohali1968-691992-931992-931Mandeep Singh
RailwaysKarnail Singh Stadium, New Delhi1958-592001-022004-052Upendra Yadav
Rajasthan / RajputanaSawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur1935-362010-112011-122Ashok Menaria
SaurashtraSaurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot1936-372019-202022-232Jaydev Unadkat
SikkimMining Cricket Stadium, Rangpo2018-19---Ashish Thapa
ServicesPalam A Stadium, New Delhi1949-50---Rajat Paliwal
Tamil Nadu / MadrasM. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai1934-351954-551987-882Sai Kishore
TripuraMaharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium, Agartala1985-86---Wriddhiman Saha
Uttar Pradesh / United ProvincesBRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow1934-352005-062005-061Karan Sharma
UttarakhandRajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun2018-19---Jiwanjot Singh
VidarbhaNew VCA Stadium, Nagpur1957-582017-182018-192Akshay Wadkar

Defunct teams

The following teams have appeared in the Ranji Trophy, but no longer do so:

Stadiums
Stadium City Capacity Home team
Narendra Modi StadiumAhmedabad132,000[15]Gujarat
Eden GardensKolkata66,000[16]Bengal
Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket StadiumRaipur65,000Chhattisgarh
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket StadiumHyderabad55,000[17]Hyderabad
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket StadiumLucknow50,000Uttar Pradesh
Greenfield International StadiumThiruvananthapuram55,000Kerala
JSCA International Cricket StadiumRanchi50,000Jharkhand
Barabati StadiumCuttack45,000Odisha
Nalanda International Cricket StadiumRajgir45,000Bihar
Vidarbha Cricket Association StadiumNagpur45,000Vidarbha
Arun Jaitley StadiumNew Delhi41,842[18]Delhi
M. Chinnaswamy StadiumBengaluru40,000[19]Karnataka
Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cricket StadiumGuwahati40,000Assam
Maharashtra Cricket Association StadiumPune37,406Maharashtra
M. A. Chidambaram StadiumChennai33,500[20]Tamil Nadu
Wankhede StadiumMumbai33,108[21]Mumbai
Holkar StadiumIndore30,000Madhya Pradesh
Maharaja Bir Bikram College StadiumAgartala30,000Tripura
Sector 16 StadiumChandigarh30,000Chandigarh
Saurashtra Cricket Association StadiumRajkot28,000Saurashtra
Inderjit Singh Bindra StadiumMohali26,000Punjab
Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy International Cricket StadiumVisakhapatnam25,000Andhra
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association StadiumDharamshala25,000Himachal Pradesh
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket StadiumDehradun25,000Uttarakhand
Sawai Mansingh StadiumJaipur23,185Rajasthan
Moti Bagh StadiumVadodara18,000Baroda
Mining Cricket StadiumRangpo17,500[22]Sikkim

Format

From the Ranji Trophy's inception until the 2001 season (with the exception of 1948–49 season), the teams were grouped geographically into four or five zones – North, West, East, and South, with Central added in 1952–53. Initial matches were played within the zones on a knock-out basis until 1956–57, and thereafter on a league basis, to determine a winner; then, the five individual zone winners competed in a knock-out tournament, leading to a final which decided the winner of the Ranji Trophy. From the 1970–71 season, the knock-out stage was expanded to the top two teams from each zone, a total of ten qualifying teams. This was expanded again to the top three from each zone in 1992–93, a total of fifteen qualifying teams; between 1996–97 and 1999–2000, the fifteen qualifying teams competed in a secondary group stage, with three groups of five teams, and the top two from each group qualified for a six-team knock-out stage; in all other years until 2001–02, a full fifteen-team knock-out tournament was held.

The format was changed in the 2002–03 season with the zonal system abandoned and a two-division structure adopted – the Elite Group, containing fifteen teams, and the Plate Group, containing the rest. Each group had two sub-groups which played a round-robin; the top two from each Elite sub-group then contested a four-team knock-out tournament to determine the winner of the Ranji Trophy. The team which finished last in each Elite sub-group was relegated, and both Plate Group finalists were promoted for the following season. For the 2006–07 season, the divisions were re-labelled the Super League and Plate League respectively.

In the 2008–09 season, this format was adjusted to give both Super League and Plate League teams an opportunity to contest the Ranji Trophy. The top two from each Plate sub-group contested semi-finals; the winners of these two matches then joined the top three from each Super League sub-group in an eight-team knock-out tournament. The winner of this knock-out tournament then won the Ranji Trophy. Promotion and relegation between Super League and Plate League continued as before. In the 2010–11 season, Rajasthan won the Ranji Trophy after beginning the season in the Plate League.

From the 2012–13 season, this format was adjusted slightly. The Super League and Plate League names were abandoned, but the two-tier system remained. The top tier expanded from fifteen teams to eighteen teams, in two sub-groups of nine (known as Group A and Group B, and considered equal in status); and the second tier was reduced to nine teams in a single group (known as Group C). The top three teams from Groups A and B and the top two from Group C contest the knockout phase. The lowest placed team in each of Group A and Group B is relegated to Group C, and the top two from Group C are promoted to the top tier.

For the 2017–18 season, the two-tier system was abandoned to have 4 groups of seven teams each and two quarter-finalists from each group.

From the 2018–19 season, the teams contested in three-tiers. Five teams will qualify for the quarter-finals from the top tier (known as Elite Group A and Group B). Two teams will qualify from the second-tier (Elite Group C) and one team from the lower-tier (Plate Group) for the quarter-finals.

Round-robin matches are four days in length; knockout matches are played for five days. Throughout its history, if there is no outright result in a Ranji Trophy knock-out match, the team leading after the first innings is the winner.

Prior to the 2016–17 season, matches were played at the home ground of one of the two teams taking part. For the 2016–17 edition, the BCCI decided that all games would be staged at a neutral venues.[23]

Points distribution system

Points in the league stages of both divisions are currently awarded as follows:[5]

ScenarioPoints
Win outright6
Bonus point for inning or 10 wicket win1
First innings lead in a drawn match3
No result1
Tie in first inning's score in a drawn match1
Loss on the first inning 1
Lost outright0
Tie on both innings 3

Tournament records
Main article: List of Ranji Trophy records
Team records[24]
Most trophies wins41Mumbai1934–2016
Highest team score935/5 dec.Hyderabad v Andhra1993–94[25]
Lowest team score21Hyderabad v Rajasthan2010[26]
Individual match records[24]
Highest individual innings443*B. B. NimbalkarMaharashtra v Kathiawar1948–49[27]
Best innings bowling10/20Premangsu ChatterjeeBengal v Assam1956–57[28]
Best match bowling16/99Anil KumbleKarnataka v Kerala1994–95[29]
Individual season records[30]
Most runs in a season1,415V. V. S. LaxmanHyderabad1999–2000
Most centuries in a season7Wasim JafferMumbai1999–2000
Most wickets in a season68Ashutosh AmanBihar2018–19
Individual career records
Most career matches155Wasim Jaffer1996–2020
Most career runs12,038[31]Wasim Jaffer1996–2020
Most career centuries40[31]Wasim Jaffer1996–2020
Highest career batting average98.35[32]Vijay Merchant1934–51
Most career wickets640†[33]Rajinder Goel1958–85

† Some sources credit Goel with 636 or 640 wickets instead – see Rajinder Goel article for details.

Winners

The following teams have won the tournament:[10]

SeasonWinnerRunner-up
1934–35BombayNorthern India
1935–36BombayMadras
1936–37NawanagarBengal
1937–38HyderabadNawanagar
1938–39BengalSouthern Punjab
1939–40MaharashtraUnited Provinces
1940–41MaharashtraMadras
1941–42BombayMysore
1942–43BarodaHyderabad
1943–44Western IndiaBengal
1944–45BombayHolkar
1945–46HolkarBaroda
1946–47BarodaHolkar
1947–48HolkarBombay
1948–49BombayBaroda
1949–50BarodaHolkar
1950–51HolkarGujarat
1951–52BombayHolkar
1952–53HolkarBengal
1953–54BombayHolkar
1954–55MadrasHolkar
1955–56BombayBengal
1956–57BombayServices
1957–58BarodaServices
1958–59BombayBengal
1959–60BombayMysore
1960–61BombayRajasthan
1961–62BombayRajasthan
1962–63BombayRajasthan
1963–64BombayRajasthan
1964–65BombayHyderabad
1965–66BombayRajasthan
1966–67BombayRajasthan
1967–68BombayMadras
1968–69BombayBengal
1969–70BombayRajasthan
1970–71BombayMaharashtra
1971–72BombayBengal
1972–73BombayTamil Nadu
1973–74KarnatakaRajasthan
1974–75BombayKarnataka
1975–76BombayBihar
1976–77BombayDelhi
1977–78KarnatakaUttar Pradesh
1978–79DelhiKarnataka
1979–80DelhiBombay
1980–81BombayDelhi
1981–82DelhiKarnataka
1982–83KarnatakaBombay
1983–84BombayDelhi
1984–85BombayDelhi
1985–86DelhiHaryana
1986–87HyderabadDelhi
1987–88Tamil NaduRailways
1988–89DelhiBengal
1989–90BengalDelhi
1990–91HaryanaBombay
1991–92DelhiTamil Nadu
1992–93PunjabMaharashtra
1993–94BombayBengal
1994–95BombayPunjab
1995–96KarnatakaTamil Nadu
1996–97MumbaiDelhi
1997–98KarnatakaUttar Pradesh
1998–99KarnatakaMadhya Pradesh
1999–00MumbaiHyderabad
2000–01BarodaRailways
2001–02RailwaysBaroda
2002–03MumbaiTamil Nadu
2003–04MumbaiTamil Nadu
2004–05RailwaysPunjab
2005–06Uttar PradeshBengal
2006–07MumbaiBengal
2007–08DelhiUttar Pradesh
2008–09MumbaiUttar Pradesh
2009–10MumbaiKarnataka
2010–11RajasthanBaroda
2011–12RajasthanTamil Nadu
2012–13MumbaiSaurashtra
2013–14KarnatakaMaharashtra
2014–15KarnatakaTamil Nadu
2015–16MumbaiSaurashtra
2016–17GujaratMumbai
2017–18VidarbhaDelhi
2018–19VidarbhaSaurashtra
2019–20SaurashtraBengal
2020–21Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic[34]
2021–22 Madhya PradeshMumbai
2022–23SaurashtraBengal

Finals appearances by team

Mumbai/Bombay have played in 46 of the 86 finals till 2016–17 and have won total 41 Ranji Trophy championships, the most by any team.

TeamWinnerRunner-upWin %Last win
Mumbai / Bombay41687.22016
Karnataka / Mysore8657.12015
Delhi7846.72008
Madhya Pradesh / Holkar5741.72022
Baroda5455.62001
Saurashtra23402023
Vidarbha20100.02019
Bengal21313.331990
Tamil Nadu / Madras21016.71988
Rajasthan2820.02012
Hyderabad2340.01987
Maharashtra2340.01941
Railways2250.02005
Uttar Pradesh / United Provinces1516.72006
Punjab / Southern Punjab1325.01993
Haryana1150.01991
Gujarat1150.02017
Nawanagar11501937
Western India101001944
Services0200.0
Bihar0100.0
Northern India0100.0

Broadcasting

Sports18 TV channel and JioCinema has exclusive rights to broadcast the trophy live on television and online respectively.[35] BCCI's website runs match highlights. Star Sports and Disney+ Hotstar apk broadcast the tournament until 2022.[36][4]

Explanatory notes
  1. Ranjitsinhji played for England cricket team in Tests in early 20th century. He was a prince from Nawanagar princely state and later became king of his state.
  2. Each team has used several venues to host matches.

    See also

    Other top domestic cricket tournaments of the BCCI

    Other

    Notes
    1. Irani Cup is single match tournament, in which last season's champion team play versus Rest of India cricket team. BCCI organise it on annually in October before India's cricket season starts.[38]

    References
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    3. "BCCI awards title sponsorship to IDFC first..." Economic times.com.
    4. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India". bcci.tv.
    5. "Ranji trophy 2022-2023". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
    6. staff, Cricinfo. "The Ranji Trophy". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
    7. "Ranji Trophy: 85 years, and counting". The Week. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
    8. "Mumbai win Ranji Trophy for 41st time". Times of India. 26 February 2016.
    9. "रणजी करंडक क्रिकेट स्पर्धा : मध्य प्रदेश नवविजेते! ; अंतिम सामन्यात बलाढय़ ..." www.loksatta.com.
    10. "The Ranji Trophy". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
    11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    12. "No Ranji Trophy in 2020–21, but BCCI to hold domestic 50-over games for men, women, and U-19 boys". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
    13. Karhadkar, Amol (30 January 2021). "No Ranji Trophy for first time in 87 years". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
    14. "No Ranji Trophy For First Time in 87 Years, BCCI Opts For Vijay Hazare Trophy". Pro Batsman. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
    15. "BCCI Venues – Narendra Modi Stadium". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
    16. "BCCI Venues – Eden Gardens". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
    17. "BCCI Venues – Rajiv Gandhi Stadium". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
    18. "BCCI Venues – Arun Jaitley Stadium". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
    19. "BCCI Venues – M Chinnaswamy Stadium". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
    20. "BCCI Venues – M A Chidambaram Stadium". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
    21. "BCCI Venues – Wankhede Stadium". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
    22. "For first time Sikkim to host Ranji Trophy matches, Himalayan state allotted three fixtures". nenow.in. 13 September 2022.
    23. "Ranji Trophy to be held at neutral venues, confirms BCCI". The Times of India. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
    24. Compiled from Overall First-Class Records Archived 22 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine at CricketArchive.
    25. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1994-01-11). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
    26. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1935-02-06). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
    27. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1948-12-18). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
    28. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1957-01-29). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
    29. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1995-01-17). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
    30. From Indian Cricket 2004, published by The Hindu, 2004
    31. "'My time under the sun is over' – domestic giant Wasim Jaffer retires at 42". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
    32. Partab Ramchand (19 February 2000). "Ajay Sharma in elite company". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 February 2007.
    33. Anil Gulati (30 June 2001). "I was born at the wrong time: Rajinder Goel". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 February 2007.
    34. "No Ranji Trophy in 2020–21, but BCCI to hold domestic 50-over games for men, women, and U-19 boys". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
    35. "Viacom18 bags BCCI media rights..." www.timesofindia.com.
    36. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    37. Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (22 April 2019). "Nani-starrer 'Jersey', garners praise from cricket buffs". The Hindu.
    38. ESPN Cricinfo https://www.espncricinfo.com/team/saurashtra-and-kathiawar-2070/match-schedule-fixtures-and-results. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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