The Ranji Trophy is India’s premier domestic first-class cricket tournament. Played over multi-day matches, it has crowned a national champion since 1934-35 and has been a pathway to India’s Test team for decades. Here is how it works, where it came from and who has won it most.
A Short History
Fifteen teams played in the first edition in 1934-35, and the competition was renamed the Ranji Trophy ahead of the 1935-36 season. For decades it used a zonal system, in which zonal winners met in a knockout round. That changed in 2002-03, when the tournament adopted a two-tier league of Elite and Plate groups.
The Current Format
In 2025-26, 38 teams took part. Thirty-two teams in the Elite category are split into four groups of eight, and six teams play in the Plate category. The top teams from each Elite group advance to the knockout rounds, which lead to a final. Plate finalists are promoted to the Elite group, while the weakest Elite teams are relegated.
Most Successful Teams
- Mumbai (Bombay): 42 titles, including a record 15 in a row, and the first champion in 1934-35.
- Karnataka: 8 titles.
- Delhi: 7 titles.
- Vidarbha: 3 titles, the most recent in 2024-25.
Records and the Latest Champions
Wasim Jaffer is the leading run-scorer with 12,038 runs, and Rajinder Goel has the most wickets with 640. In 2025-26, Jammu and Kashmir won their first title by beating Karnataka on first-innings lead in the final on February 28, 2026, becoming the 20th team to win the tournament.
Why It Matters
The Ranji Trophy is where players build the long-form skills needed for Test cricket, and young talent often reaches national attention here first. Our look at Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shows how far a teenager can rise after a Ranji debut.
Sources: Wikipedia, 2025-26 Ranji Trophy (Wikipedia), Business Standard, CricHeroes.