Ranji Trophy 2025-26: Dates, Squads and What to Expect
The Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup are done, which means the real grind of Indian domestic cricket starts now. The 91st Ranji Trophy begins on October 15, and Vidarbha, fresh off their Irani Cup win, arrive as the team everyone has to beat.
Groups and Format
Thirty-eight teams will play, split into five groups. Four Elite groups have eight teams each, and a single Plate group has six. Goa and Nagaland have moved up to the Elite level, while Bihar and Meghalaya have slipped into Plate.
In the Elite groups, every side plays the others once, so that’s seven matches. Only the top two from each group reach the quarter-finals. Plate teams play five games, and the top two meet in their own final.
Promotion and relegation are also changing. From this season, just one team moves each way. The Plate winner goes up, and the weakest Elite side across all four groups goes down.
The Calendar
The season is split in two. Five rounds are played between October 15 and November 19, then there’s a long pause until January 22, when the final two league rounds begin. Quarter-finals start on February 6, semi-finals on February 15, and the final runs from February 24 to 28. League games last four days and knockouts last five. Every match starts at 9:30 AM IST.
Names to Watch
This is where it gets fun. Shardul Thakur captains a Mumbai side that also has Ajinkya Rahane and Sarfaraz Khan. Karnataka are led by Mayank Agarwal, with Karun Nair in their batting order. Ishan Kishan takes charge of Jharkhand, and Rajat Patidar leads Madhya Pradesh.
Bengal will be happy to have Mohammed Shami back in red-ball action under captain Abhimanyu Easwaran. Jammu & Kashmir, led by Paras Dogra, have the express pace of Umran Malik. Vidarbha will be captained by Akshay Wadkar, Tamil Nadu by N. Jagadeesan and Odisha by Subhranshu Senapati.
First-Round Fixtures
A few openers stand out. Jammu & Kashmir host Mumbai in Srinagar, which could be a tricky start for the 42-time champions. Bengal open against Uttarakhand at Eden Gardens, and Vidarbha begin their title defence away to Nagaland in Sovima. Closer to home, Assam, in Elite C, take on Gujarat in Ahmedabad.
Where to Watch
The source I worked from doesn’t list broadcast or streaming details, so I haven’t made any up. Keep an eye on the BCCI’s official channels for confirmed information as the opening round gets closer.
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