Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is the domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between state and city sides, equivalent to county cricket in England and the Pura Cup in Australia.
The competition is named after Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, also known as "Ranji"). The competition was launched as "The Cricket Championship of India" following a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in July 1934, with the first fixtures taking place in 1934-35. Syed Mohammed Hadi of Hyderabad was the first batsman to score a century in the tournament. The trophy was donated by Sir Bhupendra Singh Mahinder Bahadur, Maharajah of Patiala.
Most of the teams playing in the Ranji Trophy represent states of India. With changes in state boundaries, some states have more than one team (such as Maharashtra and Gujarat) and others have none. The competition also includes some teams representing the armed forces such as Railways and Services.
Prior to the 2002-03 season, the teams were grouped into five zones (North, West, East, Central and South) and initial matches were played within the zones on a league basis. The top teams (two until 1991-92, since then three) from each zone played in a national knock-out competition, leading to a final which decided the winner of the tournament.
Starting with the 2002-03 season, the zonal system was abandoned and a two-division structure was adopted: the elite and the plate divisions.
The Elite division is divided into two groups of eight and seven teams. The plate division is divided into two groups of six teams each. In both divisions, the top two teams from each group advance to the knock-out phase. The finalists from the plate division are promoted into the Elite Division the next year while the bottom two from the elite division are relegated.
The most dominant team in the Ranji Trophy has been Mumbai cricket team, winning the tournament 32 times.
Points Summary
| Scenario | Points |
| Win Outright | 4 |
| 1st Innings Lead | 2 * |
| Bonus Point (for innings and 10 wicket wins) | 1 |
| No Result | 0 |
| 1st Innings Deficit | 0 * |
| Lost Outright | 0 |
note* - If match ends in a draw.
See also
| Indian first class cricket teams in the Ranji Trophy |
|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | Assam | Baroda | Bengal | Delhi | Goa | Gujarat | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Hyderabad | Jharkand | Karnataka | Madhya Pradesh | Maharashtra | Mumbai | Orissa | Punjab | Railways | Rajasthan | Saurashtra | Services | Tamil Nadu | Tripura | Uttar Pradesh | Vidarbha |