The idea was first given by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and has been supported by both Ganguly and Anurag Thakur.

The idea came into shape as many matches from the last edition got over within three or even two days. Home teams prepared rank turners to inflict outright victories, which in turn affected the quality of cricket in the season.

The board felt that the quality of pitches that were put in place last season was not good enough to produce international level players and it was necessary to discard the home advantage. Despite referees penalising the state officials, no action was taken against them.

The Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be played in between the league and the knockout phase of the Ranji Trophy.

As usual, the domestic season will provide young and budding cricketers to prove their mettle and it will also provide an opportunity for out-of-favour players to perform well in the domestic circuit and come back strongly.

The return of Gautam Gambhir in the Test squad against New Zealand is an indication that there is no substitute for hard work and performance and even discarded players can make a return.

The quarter-finals of the tournament will be held from 17th December followed by semi-finals on December 27. The final will be a five-day affair which will be held from January 7th to January 11th.

The Irani Trophy match, which is contested between the reigning Ranji Champions and the Rest of India team will be held from 18th January.

History

Current Teams (28)

Mumbai, Baroda, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Gujarat,Tamil Nadu, Railways and Uttar Pradesh, Saurashtra, Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra, Assam, Vidarbha, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Jharkhand, Hyderabad, Haryana, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Services, Goa, J&K, Andhra and Chhattisgarh

The following teams have appeared in the Ranji Trophy previously but do not participate anymore:

Southern Punjab (1934/35 – 1967/68)Sind (1934/35 – 1947/48)Northern India (1934/35 – 1946/47)Central Provinces & Berar (1934/35 – 1949/50)Western India (1934/35 – 1945/46)Bihar (1936-37 – 2003-04)North West Frontier Province (1937/38 – 1946/47)Holkar (1941/42 – 1954/55)Gwalior (1943/44)Kathiawar (1946/47 – 1949/50)Patiala/Patiala and Eastern Punjab States Union (1948/49, 1953/54 – 1958/59)Eastern Punjab (1950/51 – 1959/60)Madhya Bharat (1955/56 – 1956/57)Northern Punjab (1960/61 – 1967/68)

Ranji Trophy 2016-17 Groups and Schedule (Total 28 teams)

Group A – Mumbai, Baroda, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Gujarat,Tamil Nadu, Railways and Uttar Pradesh.

Group B – Saurashtra, Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra, Assam, Vidarbha, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.

Group C – Hyderabad, Haryana, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Services, Goa, J&K, Andhra and Chhattisgarh.

Ch Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Rohtak

Baroda vs Gujrat, Group A

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Punjab vs Railways, Group A

Palam A Stadium, Delhi

Madhya Pradesh vs Uttar Pradesh, Group A

TBC, TBC

Saurashtra vs Rajasthan, Group B

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Odisha vs Vidarbha, Group B

Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam

Delhi vs Assam, Group B

Moti Bagh Stadium, Vadodara

Jharkhand vs Mahrashtra, Group B

Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi

Hyderabad vs Goa, Group C

Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

Haryana vs Services, Group C

Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Bengal Cricket Academy Ground, West Bengal

Himachal Pradesh vs Andhra Pradesh, Group C

KIIT Stadium, Bhubaneswar

Tripura vs Chattisgarh, Group C

JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi

Mumbai vs Baroda, Group A

Palam A Stadium, Delhi

Madhya Pradesh vs Punjab, Group A

Ch Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Rohtak

Uttar Pradesh vs Bengal, Group A

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Railways vs Tamil Nadu, Group A

TBC, TBC

Odisha vs Saurashtra, Group B

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Maharashtra vs Delhi, Group B

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Jharkhand vs Karnataka, Group B

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Rajasthan vs Assam, Group B

Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam

Hyderabad vs Haryana, Group C

JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi

Kerala vs Himachal Pradesh, Group C

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Tripura vs Services, Group C

Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati

Goa vs Jammu & Kashmir, Group C

Lalabhai Contractor Stadium , Surat

Andhra vs Chattisgarh, Group C

Bengal Cricket Academy Ground, West Bengal

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

Bengal vs Punjab, Group A

TBC, TBC

Railways vs Gujrat, Group A

Ch Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Rohtak

Uttar Pradesh vs Tamil Nadu, Group A

Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

Maharashtra vs Saurashtra, Group B

Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex, Vizianagaram

Delhi vs Karnataka, Group B

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Vidarbha vs Assam, Group B

TBC, TBC

Jharkhand vs Rajasthan, Group B

Moti Bagh Stadium, Vadodara

Hyderabad vs Kerala, Group C

KIIT Stadium, Bhubaneswar

Haryana vs Chattisgarh, Group C

Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati

Himachal Pradesh vs Tripura, Group C

Bengal Cricket Academy Ground, West Bengal

Services vs Goa, Group C

DRIEMS Ground, Cuttack

Jammu & Kashmir vs Andhra, Group C

Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Tamil Nadu vs Madhya Pradesh, Group A

DRIEMS Ground, Cuttack

Railways vs Bengal, Group A

Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

Uttar Pradesh vs Gujrat, Group A

Palam A Stadium, Delhi

Delhi vs Odisha, Group B

Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

Rajasthan vs Maharashtra, Group B

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Assam vs Karnataka. Group B

Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai

Jharkhand vs Vidarbha, Group B

Krishnagiri Stadium, Wayanad,Kerala

Hyderabad vs Himachal Pradesh, Group C

Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati

Haryana vs Andhra, Group C

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Tripura vs Goa. Group C

KIIT Stadium, Bhubaneswar

Jammu & Kashmir vs Services, Group C

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Chattisgarh vs Kerala, Group C

JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi

Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar Ground, Mysore

Tamil Nadu vs Baroda, Group A

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

Punjab vs Uttar Pradesh, Group A

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

Gujrat vs Bengal, Group A

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Assam vs Saurashtra, Group B

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Rajasthan vs Odisha, Group B

Dhruve Pandove Stadium, Patiala

Delhi vs Jharkhand, Group B

TBC, TBC

Vidarbha vs Karnataka, Group B

Moti Bagh Stadium, Vadodara

Hyderabad vs Tripura, Group C

Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi

Andhra vs Services, Group C

Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore

Himachal Pradesh vs Jammu & Kashmir, Group C

JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi

Goa vs Chattisgarh, Group C

Barabati Stadium, Cuttack

Kerala vs Haryana, Group C

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

TBC, TBC

Railways vs Baroda, Group A

Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur

Gujrat vs Madhya Pradesh, Group A

Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Bengal vs Tamil Nadu, Group A

Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot

Saurashtra vs Jharkhand, Group B

Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium, Agartala

Odisha vs Assam, Group B

Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi

Maharashtra vs Vidarbha, Group B

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Karnataka vs Rajasthan, Group B

Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex, Vizianagaram

Hyderabad vs Services, Group C

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Kerala vs Goa, Group C

Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Jammu & Kashmir vs Haryana, Group C

Barabati Stadium, Cuttack

Andhra vs Tripura, Group C

Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium, Valsad

Chattisgarh vs Himachal Pradesh, Group C

Green Park, Kanpur

KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground, Hubli

Baroda vs Bengal, Group A

Ch Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Rohtak

Tamil Nadu vs Punjab, Group A

Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur

Madhya Pradesh vs Railways, Group A

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Vidarbha vs Saurashtra, Group B

Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi

Odisha vs Karnataka, Group B

Palam A Stadium, Delhi

Rajasthan vs Delhi, Group B

Krishnagiri Stadium, Wayanad,Kerala

Maharashtra vs Assam, Group B

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Hyderabad vs Chattisgarh, Group C

Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium, Valsad

Kerala vs Andhra, Group C

Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati

Haryana vs Goa, Group C

Green Park, Kanpur

Tripura vs Jammu & Kashmir, Group C

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Services vs Himachal Pradesh, Group C

Lalabhai Contractor Stadium , Surat

Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

Baroda vs Madhya Pradesh, Group A

Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

Gujrat vs Punjab, Group A

Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar Ground, Mysore

Uttar Pradesh vs Railways, Group A

Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot

Saurashtra vs Karnataka, Group B

Dhruve Pandove Stadium, Patiala

Odisha vs Mahrashtra, Group B

Nehru Stadium, Kochi

Vidarbha vs Delhi, Group B

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Assam vs Jharkhand, Group B

Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex, Vizianagaram

Hyderabad vs Jammu & Kashmir, Group C

Moti Bagh Stadium, Vadodara

Kerala vs Tripura, Group C

Barabati Stadium, Cuttack

Andhra vs Goa, Group C

JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi

Chattisgarh vs Services, Group C

Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai

Himachal Pradesh vs Haryana, Group C

Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium, Valsad

Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot

Baroda vs Uttar Pradesh, Group A

Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Madhya Pradesh vs Bengal, Group A

Palam A Stadium, Delhi

Tamil Nadu vs Gujrat , Group A

TBC, TBC

Saurashtra vs Delhi, Group B

Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Odisha vs Jharkhand, Group B

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Maharashtra vs Karnataka, Group B

Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

Vidarbha vs Rajasthan, Group B

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Hyderabad vs Andhra, Group C

Green Park, Kanpur

Himachal Pradesh vs Goa, Group C

Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai

Chattisgarh vs Jammu & Kashmir, Group C

Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior

Tripura vs Haryana, Group C

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Kerala vs Services, Group C

Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi

TBC vs TBC, 2nd quarter-final

TBC, TBC

TBC vs TBC, 3rd quarter-final

TBC, TBC

TBC vs TBC, 4th quarter-final

TBC, TBC

TBC,TBC

TBC vs TBC, 2nd Semi-Final

TBC,TBC

TBC,TBC

0 votes