Ranji Trophy

Sports Name: Cricket

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Updated On : 06 May, 2019

Full Name
Ranji Trophy

Type
domestic

Location
India

Disabled
No

Conducted
Annually

Gender
Male

Trivia

Founded in 1934 as the "Cricket Championship of India", it is one of the oldest cricket championships of the nation, named in honour of Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja, the Prince of Nawanagar and one of the prominent cricketers of India. He represented England in international cricket and played a total of fifteen Tests for the English National Team.

The Ranji Trophy is one of the most premier domestic cricket championships in India in which teams of different state cricket boards participate. A total of eighty-three tournaments has been played so far with Bombay, being the most successful team with 41 titles. At present, 28 teams participate in the championship, representing different states of the nation. Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala donated the first trophy for the championship. The first Ranji Trophy match was held between Madras and Mysore on 4th November 1934. The first championship was won by Bombay after they vanquished North India in a thrilling game at the final.

Competition Format

Since its inception, the format for the competition has undergone many changes. In the early years, the teams were divided into several zones: East, West, North, South and Central for logistic convenience and the initial matches were played within the zones on a league basis.
Till the 1990-91 season, only top two teams from each zone could qualify for the knockout stage. However, rules were changed since the 1991-92 season, making room for one more team from each zone to qualify for the knockout stage.
The present format came along during the 2012–13 season in which only slight changes were made.
The two-tier system of the game persisted.
Two groups namely Group A and Group B were created; each containing nine teams from the eighteen players belonging to the top-tier.
The second tier consisting nine teams only was designated as Group C.
The teams which ranked in the top three positions from Group A and B and the teams which ranked in the top two of Group C, progressed into the next stage known as the knockout stage.