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, PunjabELITE GROUP B
Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, RajasthanRanji Trophy Latest News
Ranji Trophy 2008-09
MUM v UP, Ranji Trophy Final: Mumbai thrash Uttar Pradesh to win 38th Ranji Trophy title
Jan 16, 2009
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
Jan 7, 2009
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
Jan 7, 2009
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
Feb 5, 2007
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 |