Ranji Trophy
| Countries |  India |
|---|---|
| Administrator | BCCI |
| Format | Test Cricket |
| First edition | 1934 |
| Tournament format | Round Robin, then knockout |
| Number of teams | 27 |
| Current champion | Delhi |
| Most successful | Mumbai (37) |
| Most runs | Amarjit Kaypee (7623) 1980-2000 |
| Most wickets | Rajinder Goel (640) 1958-1985 |
 Ranji Trophy 2008-09 | |
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia. The competition is named after Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, also known as "Ranji").
History
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. The trophy was donated by Bhupinder Singh, the Maharajah of Patiala. The first Ranji Trophy Championship was won by Bombay after they defeated North India in the final. Syed Mohammed Hadi of Hyderabad was the first batsman to score a century in the tournament.
Mumbai (formerly Bombay) have been the dominant team in the Championship so far, with 37 wins, including 15 back-to-back wins from 1958-59 to 1972-73.
Format
Most of the teams playing in the Ranji Trophy represent states of India. However, there are teams that represent individual cities such as Mumbai or Hyderabad. The competition also includes teams that have no regional affiliations, such as Railways and Services.
Up until 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, three after that) 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 Group and the Plate Group. For the 2006-07 season, the divisions were re-labelled the Super League and Plate League respectively.
The Super League is divided into two groups of eight and seven teams, while the Plate League 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 League are promoted to the Super League the next year while the two teams at the bottom of the Super League are relegated.
Points summary
Points in the league stages of both divisions are awarded as follows:
| Scenario | Points |
|---|---|
| Win Outright | 5 |
| Bonus Point (for innings and 10 wicket wins) | 1 |
| 1st Innings Lead | 3 * |
| No Result | 1 |
| 1st Innings Deficit | 1 * |
| Lost Outright | 0 |
note* - If match ends in a draw.
Teams
The teams listed below are competing in the Ranji Trophy for the 2007-08 season. For a complete list of teams which have played in the competition at some point during its history, see Ranji Trophy - Historical Note.
Super League
|
Group A
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Group B
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Plate League
|
Group A
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Group B
|
Tournament records
| Team records[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Most wins | 37 | Mumbai (formerly Bombay) | |
| Highest team score | 944/6 decl. | Hyderabad v Andhra | 1993-94 [1] |
| Lowest team score | 22 | Southern Punjab v Northern India | 1934-35 [2] |
| Individual match records[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest individual innings | 443* | B. B. Nimbalkar | Maharashtra v Kathiawar | 1948-49 [3] |
| Best innings bowling | 10/20 | Premangsu Chatterjee | Bengal v Assam | 1956-57 [4] |
| Best match bowling | 16/99 | Anil Kumble | Karnataka v Kerala | 1994-95 [5] |
| Individual season records[2] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most runs in a season | 1415 | V. V. S. Laxman | Hyderabad | 1999-2000 |
| Most centuries in a season | 8 | V. V. S. Laxman | Hyderabad | 1999-2000 |
| Most wickets in a season | 64 | Bishan Bedi | Delhi | 1974-75 |
| Individual career records | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most career runs | 7623[3] | Amarjit Kaypee | 1980-2000 | |
| Most career centuries | 31[4] | Ajay Sharma | 1984-2000 | |
| Highest career batting average | 98.35[4] | Vijay Merchant | 1934-1951 | |
| Most career wickets | 640[5]† | Rajinder Goel | 1958-1985 | |
† Some sources credit Goel with 636 or 637 wickets instead — see Rajinder Goel article for details.
