India vs South Africa Test Series

INDIA VS SOUTH AFRICA TEST SERIES in India, FEB 2010

India will play two-match Test series against South Africa at Nagpur and Kolkata, and also three one-day internationals during the tour starting February.

Ranji Trophy Cricket

Ranji Trophy Cricket

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, and also denotes the trophy that is awarded to the winner.
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 itself was donated by H.H. Sir Bhupendra Singh Mahinder Bahadur, Maharajah of Patiala.

Ranji Trophy Format

Most of the teams plaing 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 other teams, such as Railways, and Services representing the armed forces.
Before the 2002-03 season, the teams were grouped into five zones (North, West, East, Central and South) and initial matches are 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 destination of the Trophy.
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 Bombay (Nowdays called 'Mumbai') Cricket team, winning the tournament 32 times.

ELITE GROUP A

Mumbai, Railways, UP, Kerala, Andhra, Baroda, Delhi, Punjab

ELITE GROUP B

Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan

Ranji Trophy Latest News

Ranji Trophy 2008-09

MUM v UP, Ranji Trophy Final: Mumbai thrash Uttar Pradesh to win 38th Ranji Trophy title

Dhawal Kulkarni claimed five wickets as Mumbai asserted their supremacy by thrashing Uttar Pradesh by a huge 243-run margin and clinching the Ranji Trophy cricket title for a record 38th time at Hyderabad.
Needing an improbable 525 to win the match on the last day, Uttar Pradesh folded up for 281 in 71.5 overs although the last wicket pair of Amir Khan (43) and Praveen Gupta (25) only delayed the inevitable by stitching a 55-run partnership.
The young Kulkarni was the pick of the Mumbai bowlers with five for 76 while spinner Ramesh Powar chipped in with three wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at the Uppal. Kulkarni removed Gupta to take the last wicket as the tired-looking UP batsman lazily drove an outside off-stump delivery to first slip where substitute S Kukreja grabbed it, triggering scenes of celebrations in the Mumbai dressing room.
Mumbai had scored 402 and extended their 157-run first innings lead with a big second-innings score of 367.
Mumbai dominated the first session by reducing UP to 58-4, but skipper Mohamad Kaif (72) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (80) added 112 runs for the fifth wicket to lend some stability to the UP innings.
With another 402 required to win in two sessions, Khan and Gupta frustrated Mumbai bowlers as they went on run-spree for 10.2 overs, scoring in almost all the areas of the park.

Shukla takes UP to final

Shivkant Shukla remained unbeaten as he posted a patient 178 to steer Uttar Pradesh into the final of the Ranji Trophy for the third time in four years at Nagpur on Wednesday.
UP overhauled Tamil Nadu’s first innings score of 445 to take a vital two-run lead and declare at 447/8 in 192.3 overs to draw the match and book a place in the final.
UP will take on 37-time champions Mumbai in the final that begins in Hyderabad from January 12. Shukla was given a standing ovation for his unbeaten effort.

Tamil Nadu 445 drew with Uttar Pradesh 447-8 d

Mumbai in Ranji Trophy final

Off-spinner Ramesh Powar polished off the Saurashtra tail with a four-wicket haul as Mumbai reached the final of Ranji Trophy by virtue of a 258-run first innings lead at Chennai on Wednesday.
In reply to Mumbai’s first-innings total of 637 for six declared, Saurashtra were bowled out in the first session itself for 379 and the first innings lead put Mumbai in the hunt for a record 38th Ranji title.

Mumbai 637-6 d & 42-1 drew with Saurashtra 379

Mumbai picks Ranji Trophy

The Mumbai Monday eastablished its supremacy with comprehensive 132-run victory over Bengal on the fourth and penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy cricket final at the Wankhede Stadium here Monday.
The result which saw Mumbai win the national championship for a record 37th time, was all the more creditable considering the ordinary start they had made to their campaign. Chasing an improbable target of 472 runs, Bengal came up with a determined response in the earlier part of the day before folding up for 339 in their second innings after tea. Making his debut for Mumbai, left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan backed his first innings five-wicket haul with another fine effort as he claimed four in the second to trigger the Bengal collapse. The loss of the last six wickets for just five runs put paid to hopes of Bengal, who at one stage looked extremely good during the run-chase with saw half-centuries from Deep Dasgupta, Manoj Tewari and Sourav Ganguly.
Resuming at 98 for 2, Bengal went about their task in an efficient manner, reaching 226 for 3 at lunch. Cricket Board chief Sharad Pawar handed over the trophy to the Mumbai team, who were awarded by the Mumbai Cricket Association a bonus of Rs one lakh for the entire 19-member squad. Mumbai's opening bastman Wasim Jaffer was presented a memento by Sachin Tendulkar for completing 10,000 runs in first-class cricket.

Ranji Trophy Winners

Year	Winner	Runner-up
2008-09	Mumbai	Uttar Pradesh
2007-08	Delhi	Uttar Pradesh
2006-07	Mumbai	Bengal
2005-06	Uttar Pradesh	Bengal
2004-05	Railways	Punjab
2003-04	Mumbai	Tamil Nadu
2002-03	Mumbai	Tamil Nadu
2001-02	Railways	Baroda
2000-01	Baroda	Railways
1999-00	Mumbai	Hyderabad
1998-99	Karnataka	Madhya Pradesh
1997-98	Karnataka	Uttar Pradesh
1996-97	Mumbai	Delhi
1995-96	Karnataka	Tamil Nadu
1994-95	Mumbai	Punjab
1993-94	Mumbai	Bengal
1992-93	Punjab	Maharashtra
1991-92	Delhi	Tamil Nadu
1990-91	Haryana	Mumbai
1989-90	Bengal	Delhi
1988-89	Delhi	Bengal
1987-88	Tamil Nadu	Railways
1986-87	Hyderabad	Delhi
1985-86	Delhi	Haryana
1984-85	Mumbai	Delhi
1983-84	Mumbai	Delhi
1982-83	Karnataka	Mumbai
1981-82	Delhi	Karnataka
1980-81	Mumbai	Delhi
1979-80	Delhi	Mumbai
1978-79	Delhi	Karnataka
1977-78	Karnataka	Uttar Pradesh
1976-77	Mumbai	Delhi
1975-76	Mumbai	Bihar
1974-75	Mumbai	Karnataka
1973-74	Karnataka	Rajasthan
1972-73	Mumbai	Tamil Nadu
1971-72	Mumbai	Bengal
1970-71	Mumbai	Maharashtra
1969-70	Mumbai	Rajasthan
1968-69	Mumbai	Bengal
1967-68	Mumbai	Madras
1966-67	Mumbai	Rajasthan
1965-66	Mumbai	Rajasthan
1964-65	Mumbai	Hyderabad
1963-64	Mumbai	Rajasthan
1962-63	Mumbai	Rajasthan
1961-62	Mumbai	Rajasthan
1960-61	Mumbai	Rajasthan
1959-60	Mumbai	Mysore
1958-59	Mumbai	Bengal
1957-58	Baroda	Services
1956-57	Mumbai	Services
1955-56	Mumbai	Bengal
1954-55	Madras	Holkar
1953-54	Mumbai	Holkar
1952-53	Holkar	Bengal
1951-52	Mumbai	Holkar
1950-51	Holkar	Gujarat
1949-50	Baroda	Holkar
1948-49	Mumbai	Baroda
1947-48	Holkar	Mumbai
1946-47	Baroda	Holkar
1945-46	Holkar	Baroda
1944-45	Mumbai	Holkar
1943-44	Western India	Bengal
1942-43	Baroda	Hyderabad
1941-42	Mumbai	Mysore
1940-41	Maharashtra	Madras
1939-40	Maharashtra	United Province
1938-39	Bengal	Southern Punjab
1937-38	Hyderabad	Nawanagar
1936-37	Nawanagar	Bengal
1935-36	Mumbai	Madras
1934-35	Mumbai	Northern India