India’s 2024-25 domestic cricket season will be in full throttle as the Ranji Trophy marks its return. This will be the third red-ball tournament this season after the Duleep Trophy and the Irani Cup.
The premier First-Class tournament will enter its 90th edition, with Mumbai eager to defend their title. As the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 gets underway, here’s everything you need to know about the tournament.
So, when does the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 start?
The Ranji Trophy 2024-25 kicks off on October 11, 2024, and runs till March 2, 2025.
So, a 6-month-long competition? Not really.
This time around the BCCI has split the competition into 2 phases. The first phase runs from October 11 to November 16. Each team will compete in 5 matches in the first phase.
Before the second phase resumes, 2 white-ball tournaments will take place. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy will make up the break.
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will take place from November 23 to December 15, followed by the Vijay Hazare Trophy from December 21 to January 18.
The second phase of the Ranji Trophy will resume 5 days after the Vijay Hazare Trophy final.
It will return on January 23, 2025, and commence on March 2, 2025. The second phase includes the Plate Division final and 2 league matches and knockouts for Elite Division teams.
Is there any format change?
Despite the 2 phases, there’s no format change as such. A total of 38 teams — 32 in Elite and 6 in Plate — will be in the hunt to claim the silverware.
Each team plays against their group opponents once heading into the knockouts. The Elite Division has 4 groups of 8 teams each and a single group of 6 teams in the Plate Division.
Elite Division teams will play 5 games in the first phase and 2 in the second. The top 2 teams from each Elite Division Group will advance to the quarter-finals. The winners will then move to the semi-finals and eventually the final.
Plate Division teams will complete their league matches in the first phase before returning for the final between the top 2 teams starting on January 23.
You can read our detailed guide on the Ranji Trophy’s format and points system here.
How do the Elite and Plate Division groups stack?
32 state and regional teams split across 4 groups make up the Elite Division. Hyderabad and Meghalaya have gained promotion from the Plate Division to join the Elite teams.
Here’s how the Elite Division groups look like:
Group A: Baroda, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mumbai, Odisha, Services, and Tripura
Group B: Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Hyderabad, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Vidharba
Group C: Bengal, Bihar, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh
Group D: Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Saurashtra, and Tamil Nadu
The Plate Division involves 6 teams, with most of them from the North-East region. Goa and Manipur faced relegation from Elite to Plate Division.
Here are the teams placed in the Plate Division:
Plate Group: Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim
How does the promotion and relegation work?
Speaking of promotion, the top 2 Plate Division teams advance to the Elite Division from the next season. So in this season, the finalists of the 2023-24 Plate final — Hyderabad and Meghalaya — moved to the Elite Division.
On the other hand, the bottom 2 teams across the 4 Elite Division Groups face relegation and move to the Plate Division. Goa and Manipur were the worst-performing teams last season and now they will compete in the Plate Division.
So, both divisions have finals?
Yes. The Elite teams will compete for the Elite Ranji Trophy, while the Plate teams will be in a race to clinch the Plate Trophy.
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