Ranji Trophy

The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. 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. The competition is named after the first Indian cricketer who played international cricket, Ranjitsinhji, who was also known as 'Ranji'.

Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy Logo
Countries India
AdministratorBCCI
FormatFirst-class cricket
First edition1934 (1934)
Tournament formatRound-robin then knockout
Number of teams38
Current championBombay (42nd title)
Most successfulBombay (42 titles)
QualificationIrani Cup
Most runsWasim Jaffer (12,038)
1996–2020
Most wicketsRajinder Goel (640)
1958–1985
2019–20 Ranji Trophy

History
Ranjitsinhji, after whom the tournament is named

The competition was launched following a meeting in July 1934,[1] with the first fixtures taking place in 1934–35. The trophy was donated by Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala.[1] The first match of the competition was held on 4 November 1934 between Madras and Mysore at the Chepauk ground in Madras. Mumbai (Bombay) have won the tournament the most number of times with 41 wins including 15 back-to-back wins from 1958–59 to 1972–73.

The 2020–21 Ranji Trophy tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[2] the first time since the tournament's inception in the 1934–35 season that the Ranji Trophy was not held,[3] instead, the BCCI has decided to organize 50 overs Vijay Hazare Trophy.[4]

Participants

State teams and cricket associations and clubs with first-class status are qualified to play in the Ranji Trophy. While most associations are regional, like the Karnataka State Cricket Association and Mumbai Cricket Association, two, Railways and Services, are pan-Indian

Current teams

The following 38 teams currently participate in the Ranji Trophy:

† denotes newly added teams

Defunct teams

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

Format

From its inceptions 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 competition the BCCI decided that all games would be staged at a neutral venue.[5]

Points summary

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

ScenarioPoints
Win outright6
Bonus point (for innings or 10 wicket wins)1
1st innings lead in a drawn match3 *
No result1
1st innings deficit in a drawn match1 *
Lost Outright0

Tournament records
Main article: List of Ranji Trophy records
Team records[6]
Most wins42Mumbai
Highest team score935/5dec.Mumbai v Andhra1993–94[7]
Lowest team score21Hyderabad v Mumbai2010[8]
Individual match records[6]
Highest individual innings435*B. B. NimbalkarMaharashtra v Kathiawar1948–49[9]
Best innings bowling10/20Premangsu ChatterjeeBengal v Assam1956–57[10]
Best match bowling16/99Anil KumbleKarnataka v Kerala1994–95[11]
Individual season records[12]
Most runs in a season1,415Wasim JafferHyderabad1999–2000
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[13]Wasim Jaffer1996–2020
Most career centuries40[13]Wasim Jaffer1996–2020
Highest career batting average98.35[14]Vijay Merchant1934–51
Most career wickets640[15]†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:[1]

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

Finals appearances by team

Mumbai/Bombay have played in 46 of the 83 finals till 2016–17 and have won total 41 Ranji Trophy championships, the most by any team.

TeamWinsAppearancesWin %Last win
Mumbai/Bombay414689.12016
Karnataka/Mysore81457.12015
Delhi71546.72008
Baroda5955.62001
Madhya Pradesh/Holkar41136.41953
Vidarbha22100.02019
Bengal21414.31990
Tamil Nadu21216.71988
Rajasthan21020.02012
Hyderabad2540.01987
Maharashtra2540.01941
Railways2450.02005
Saurashtra/Nawanagar/Western India3645.02020
Uttar Pradesh/United Provinces1616.72006
Punjab/Southern Punjab1520.01993
Haryana1250.01991
Gujarat1250.02017
Services0200.0
Bihar0100.0
Northern India0100.0

See also

References and notes
  1. "The Ranji Trophy". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  2. "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.
  3. "No Ranji Trophy for first time in 87 years". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  4. "No Ranji Trophy For First Time in 87 Years, BCCI Opts For Vijay Hazare Trophy". Pro Batsman. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  5. "Ranji Trophy to be held at neutral venues, confirms BCCI". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  6. Compiled from Overall First-Class Records at CricketArchive.
  7. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1994-01-11). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
  8. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1935-02-06). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
  9. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1948-12-18). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
  10. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1957-01-29). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
  11. The Home of CricketArchive. Cricketarchive.co.uk (1995-01-17). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
  12. From Indian Cricket 2004, published by The Hindu, 2004
  13. "'My time under the sun is over' - domestic giant Wasim Jaffer retires at 42". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  14. Partab Ramchand (19 February 2000). "Ajay Sharma in elite company". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 February 2007.
  15. Anil Gulati (30 June 2001). "I was born at the wrong time: Rajinder Goel". Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 February 2007.
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