Ranji Trophy 2021-22 season’s much-anticipated groups have been announced by BCCI. Mumbai, Karnataka, and Delhi have been clubbed in the virtual “group of Death” in the Ranji Trophy, which will start from January 5 next year. Along with the multiple-time Ranji champions are Hyderabad, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand in the Elite group C.
Defending champions Saurashtra are clubbed with Tamil Nadu, Railways, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, and Goa in Elite group D. Last year’s runners-up Bengal has a relatively easy group (Elite B) with Vidarbha, Haryana, Kerala, Tripura, and Rajasthan.
Ranji Trophy, BCCI File Photo
Ranji Trophy Will Start On January 13, 2022
Another interesting group will be Elite group A that has Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Services, and Assam. The Elite E group has Andhra, Uttar Pradesh, Baroda, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Pondicherry.
The Plate group will comprise Chandigarh, Meghalaya, Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh. The six cities where matches will be played are Mumbai (Elite A), Bengaluru (Elite B), Bengaluru (Elite C), Ahmedabad (Elite D), Trivandrum (Elite E), and Chennai (Plate). There will be a five-day quarantine for teams ahead of each game.
Saurashtra, Defending Champions, Last Winners Of Ranji Trophy Image: Twitter
India’s men’s domestic calendar will begin with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on November 4, while the Ranji Trophy, the country’s premier first-class competition, starts on January 13, 2022. The Vijay Hazare Trophy will get underway from December 8, with neutral venues being used across all tournaments.
Last year, the Ranji Trophy, as well as junior cricket, were not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the operational difficulties of creating a bio-secure environment for thousands of players and support staff. While players lost out on significant earnings, the BCCI copped a lot of flak for too much focus on the cash-rich league IPL.
The Saurashtra team won the Ranji Trophy title for the first time in 70 years. Saurashtra became the champion based on the lead achieved in the first innings of the final against Bengal. Earlier, Saurashtra was known as Navanagar, Western India, and won the trophies in 1936-37 and 1943-44. It was renamed Saurashtra in 1950 and started participating in this domestic tournament.
They finally won the Ranji Trophy for the first time in 2019–20 when they beat Bengal on a first-innings lead in the final at Rajkot.
Ranji Trophy Final Will Be At Kolkata On March 16
In an extensive list of domestic fixtures released by the BCCI on Monday, the board also confirmed that Delhi will host the Syed Mushtaq Ali final, on November 22, while Kolkata will stage the Ranji finale, on March 16.
The Ranji Trophy will begin after the teams complete a five-day quarantine, with the matches being held at Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, and Chennai. Kolkata will host all the knockout matches, which will begin on February 20 after the teams serve another five-day quarantine period.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Each squad for the Ranji Trophy will comprise a maximum of 30 members. Of this, there will have to be a minimum of 20 players and the rest will be support staff. The support staff will also include a team physician to manage COVID-19 related issues.
Ranji Trophy Groupings:
Elite A: Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal, Madhya Pradesh, Services, and Assam (in Mumbai)
Elite B: Bengal, Vidarbha, Rajasthan, Kerala, Haryana, and Tripura (in Bangalore)
Elite C: Karnataka, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand (in Kolkata)
Elite D: Saurashtra, Tamil Nadu, Railways, J & K, Jharkhand, and Goa (in Ahmedabad)
Elite E: Andhra, Uttar Pradesh, Baroda, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Pondicherry (in Trivandrum)
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