Vijay Hazare Trophy

Vijay Hazare Trophy is the limited-overs ODI cricket competition in India. It was started back in 2002-03 and is controlled by the BCCI.

All the 38 teams that take part in Ranji Trophy compete for this title as well. And that’s why it is also known as the de facto Ranji ODI Trophy.

Vijay Hazare Trophy History

Vijay Hazare’s cricket history goes way back to 1993-94. However, during that season the game was played on a zonal system only, where teams played against their counterparts and no final winner was announced. Then in the 2002-03 edition, the format for the Vijay Hazare Trophy was changed. Currently, it is a combination of Round robin and playoff. The trophy is named after one of the most celebrated Indian cricketer Vijay Samuel Hazare. Till now, 20 editions of the trophy have been passed with Tamil Nadu being the strongest team of all. Tamil Nadu has a lot of quality players who set many Vijay Hazare Trophy records. It has won the title a record five times. In fact, Tamil Nadu was the team that won Vijay Hazare in its first edition (2002-03). Followed after Tamil Nadu are Karnataka and Mumbai. Both have won Vijay Hazare Trophy four times. Mumbai topped the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 points table and also a year earlier in 2020. Also, during the Covid-19 pandemic, there was buzzing around whether Vijay Hazare was being played. However, the season happened, but without any spectators on the ground. Fans enjoyed their Vijay Hazare Trophy live. Recently, Himachal Pradesh won their maiden Vijay Hazare title after defeating the inaugural winners Tamil Nadu. The 2021–2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy was the 20th season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament in India. It was played from 8 December 2021 and ended on 26 December 2021.

Vijay Hazare Trophy Format

The Vijay Hazare Trophy format has been altered several times till it reached its current state. At first, the game was played on a zonal system only. Then from the 2002-03 season, they started having a final match as well to decide a final winner.

The number of zonal groups has changed many times from 5 groups in the 2014-15 edition to 4 groups in 2016-18. And this categorization was changed for another time to 3 elite groups and 1 plate group in 2018-19.

Later, the format was changed again during the pandemic season, categorizing the groups into 5 elite and 1 plate group.

Vijay Hazare Trophy Teams

As mentioned earlier, Vijay Hazare Trophy features the same 38 teams that participate in the Ranji Trophy. Tamil Nadu is the most successful team out of all. Other than that, teams from different states of the country take part in Vijay Hazare Trophy. Till now, 10 out of 38 have won the title with Tamil Nadu being a five times winner. Then comes Karnataka Vijay Hazare Trophy and Mumbai Vijay Hazare Trophy having taken home the trophy four times. Other favorite teams include Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Kerala. Though they have never won their maiden title yet, they have scored some remarkable victories. Vijay Hazare Trophy winners list