Ranji Trophy

The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket event played in India involving numerous teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Due to sponsorship, the name will change to the Mastercard Ranji Trophy in 2022. It includes 38 teams, with at least one squad from each of India’s 28 states and four of the country’s eight union territories.

India’s first domestic competition is known as the Ranji Trophy. According to the Ranji history of the Ranji Trophy, it was named for Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji, the ruler of the princely state of Nawanagar, who is regarded as one of the best cricket players in history and was the first Indian to play international Test cricket.

You will learn everything about the Ranji Trophy cricket in this post, including its history, structure, and participating teams. Read on to explore this incredible trophy.

1. Ranji Trophy History
2. Ranji Trophy Participants
3. Ranji Trophy – Teams
4. Ranji Trophy Format
5. Ranji Trophy Points System
6. Ranji Trophy 2022 Schedule Squad

Ranji Trophy History

After a meeting in July 1934, the competition was established, and the first matches were played in 1934–35. Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, contributed the trophy.

At the Chepauk ground in Madras, Madras and Mysore played in the competition’s opening game on November 4, 1934. Mumbai Cricket Team (Bombay) holds the record for most tournament victories with 41, including 15 straight victories from 1958–1959 to 1972–1973.

Bombay frequently won the Ranji Trophy due to the strength of its batting, which included players like Vijay Merchant, Polly Umrigar, Vijay Manjrekar, Nari Contractor, and Ajit Wadekar. The most titles won by a cricket team were eight by the Karnataka side.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020–21 Ranji Trophy competition, for the first time since the competition’s start.

But now it’s going to be held again in 2022-2023. Let’s see what’s waiting for us in this upcoming Ranji trophy tournament.

Ranji Trophy Participants

The Ranji Trophy is eligible to state teams, cricket associations, and clubs having first-class status. While the majority of associations are provincial (such as the Mumbai Cricket Association and the Karnataka State Cricket Association), two, Railways, are pan-Indian.

Ranji Trophy – Teams

The Ranji Cup is India’s first domestic competition with 38 teams total, with at least one squad representing each of the 28 Indian states and four of the eight union territories. The full Ranji Trophy all team list is presented in the table below.

Ranji Trophy Format

Following the Knockout model, teams were split up into 4 zones in the first season: North, South, East, and West. A new zone, the Central Zone, was added in the 1952–1953 editions. The same structure was used up to 1956–1957. The winner from each zone was then decided using a modified version of the league bases format. The tournament’s knockout round featured the winners of the five zones.

These Ranji Trophy rules were used up until the 1970–1971 season, when a few additional alterations were made to the tournament’s established formula. Now, the top two ranji teams from each zone competed in the knockout stage, which featured ten teams. The knockout stage of the competition was once more expanded in 1991–1992, with the top three clubs from each zone making it there. 15 teams thus competed in the knockout round.

The format was altered once more in the 2002–03 season, when the zonal system was replaced with a two-division structure consisting of the Elite Group (15 teams) and the Plate Group (which included the remaining teams). Since then, a variety of formats have been tested with minor or significant changes.

The 2012-13 season saw the introduction of three groups (A, B, and C), each with nine teams. The knockout phase featured the top three teams from each group.

Now, for the upcoming season The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the schedule for the 2022–23 season of its premier longest format competition following yet another successful Ranji Trophy season following the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the Madhya Pradesh team win the coveted trophy for the first time in the history of ranji trophy.

Due to the development, two Ranji Trophy teams will be crowned as champions in the forthcoming season, which begins in December of this year, as opposed to the previous seasons, when all 38 domestic teams competed for a single trophy each year.

This means that, unlike in the past, where they would compete in their own tournament, the team that wins the plate group will no longer cross over to play a team from the elite group in a pre-quarterfinal match.

The top four clubs from each of the six Plate group teams would then advance to the semifinals. The two winners will advance to the Elite division for the 2023–24 season.

The 32 teams for the Elites will be split into four groups of eight teams each. The top two teams in each group will automatically advance to the quarterfinal round after each side has played the seven other teams in their group.

Additionally, the bottom two teams from each of the four elite groups combined will be demoted to the plate group for the upcoming season based on points and quotient.

Ranji Trophy Points System

As per the Ranji point system 6 points will be given to you for a win. While, In a tied game, a first-inning lead will be worth three points.

Alternatively, The team that loses the first-inning lead receives one point. If both innings are tied, 3 points will be awarded.

Ranji Trophy 2022 Schedule Squad

There will be nine groups in the event, including eight Elite Groups and six teams in the Plate Group.

The second-place teams from Ranji Trophy team list and the winner of the Plate Group will play in pre-quarterfinal matches to decide the final eight teams, with the champions of each Elite Group moving on directly to the quarterfinals.