Ranji Trophy Explained: Format, Points and History
Updated: 31 October 2026 · Author: Cricket Match Scorecard Editorial
The Ranji Trophy is India's premier first-class competition and has been the proving ground for generations of Test cricketers. If you mostly follow the IPL, it can look confusing: four-day matches, draws that earn points and winners decided without a result. Here is how it works.
Formats can change. The BCCI adjusts the structure from season to season, so this guide describes the competition in recent years. Check the current season's rules for exact details.
A short history
The competition began in the 1934–35 season and is named after Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, the batter who played Test cricket for England and is often known simply as Ranji. Teams represent states and regions, as well as institutions such as Railways and Services. Mumbai, playing earlier as Bombay, is by far the most successful side in its history.
How the season is structured
Recent seasons have had a little under 40 teams, split into two levels:
- Elite groups: the stronger teams, split into groups, playing a round-robin. The top teams from each group reach the knockout stage.
- Plate group: the remaining teams, who are competing for promotion to the Elite level.
The Elite knockouts are quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final, with knockouts generally scheduled for five days and group games for four.
The points system
In a four-day match, many games end without an outright winner, so the points system rewards being ahead on the first innings:
| Outcome | Points |
|---|---|
| Outright win | 6 |
| Win by an innings or 10 wickets (bonus point) | 7 |
| Draw, leading on first innings | 3 |
| Draw, behind on first innings | 1 |
| No result (no first innings decision) | 1 |
| Loss | 0 |
Why the first innings matters so much
This is the most important thing to grasp about the Ranji Trophy. Pitches can be flat, and four days often do not produce a result, so teams frequently play to take the first-innings lead. Once a side secures it, it has 3 points and may have little reason to take risks on the last day.
The same logic applies in the knockouts. If a knockout match is drawn, the team with the first-innings lead generally goes through. So a knockout match can be decided by the first-innings lead alone, without either side bowling the other out twice.
A worked example
Team A bats first and makes 410. Team B replies with 380 on the morning of day three. Team A has a 30-run lead. Unless something unusual happens, Team A will bat again, push the score beyond reach and end with a draw that earns it 3 points to Team B's 1. A knockout version of this game would send Team A through.
Why it matters for India
Ranji Trophy runs are still the classic route to Test selection, because it is the longest format of domestic cricket in the country. Bowlers learn how to take 20 wickets and batters how to survive long spells, which T20 cricket does not teach. A young batter making big scores here will usually attract attention from the selectors.
Related competitions
Teams playing in the Ranji Trophy also compete in India's domestic white-ball tournaments. Our guide to the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali trophies explains those. The current champion also plays the Rest of India in the one-off Irani Cup. See our domestic cricket guide for an overview, and this guide to the follow-on and declarations for how long-format tactics work.