Ranji Trophy 2016-17: Preview and tournament schedule
The 83rd edition of the Ranji Trophy begins from 6th October and the state of Chattisgarh is all set to make its Ranji Trophy debut. For the first time, matches will be played at neutral venues, after the proposal given by the Sourav Ganguly-led panel was approved by the BCCI.
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.
| Date | Match Details | Time |
Oct 06, Thu - Oct 09, Sun
| Mumbai vs Tamil Nadu, Group A 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 | 9:30 AM IST |
Oct 13, Thu - Oct 16, Sun
| Kerala vs Jammu & Kashmir, Group C 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
| 9:30 AM IST |
| Oct 20, Thu - Oct 23, Sun |
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
| 9;30 AM IST |
Oct 27, Thu - Oct 30, Sun |
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
| 9:30 AM IST |
Nov 05, Sat - Nov 08, Tue | Mumbai vs Railways, Group A 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
| 9:30 AM IST |
Nov 13, Sun - Nov 16, Wed
| Uttar Pradesh vs Mumbai, Group A, 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
| 9:30 AM IST |
Nov 21, Mon - Nov 24, Thu | Gujrat vs Mumbai, Group A 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
| 9:30 AM IST |
Nov 29, Tue - Dec 02, Fri | Bengal vs Mumbai, Group A 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
| 9:30 AM IST |
Dec 07, Wed - Dec 10, Sat | Punjab vs Mumbai, Group A 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
| 9:30 AM IST |
Dec 17, Sat - Dec 21, Wed
| TBC vs TBC, 1st Quarter-final
TBC vs TBC, 2nd quarter-final TBC, TBC
TBC vs TBC, 3rd quarter-final TBC, TBC
TBC vs TBC, 4th quarter-final TBC, TBC
| 9:30 AM IST
|
| Dec 27, Tue-Dec 31st, | TBC vs TBC, 1st Semi-Final TBC,TBC
TBC vs TBC, 2nd Semi-Final TBC,TBC | 9:30 PM IST |
| Jan 7th Tue-Jan 11th Sat | TBC vs TBC, Final TBC,TBC | 9:30 PM IST |