Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season preview: Axis of power has shifted, signalling Indian cricket’s growth spurt
Since 2014, Karnataka has won the title once and Mumbai twice, while less prominent teams Vidarbha and Saurashtra each secured the championship twice.
Published : Oct 09, 2024 10:06 IST , Mumbai - 7 MINS READ
Making a mark: Jaydev Unadkat’s Saurashtra has transformed into a formidable force in Indian First-Class cricket, carving a legacy that boasts two Ranji Trophy titles. | Photo Credit: PTI
In the fast-paced world of T20s, the traditional red-ball format often gets sidelined, sparking debates about the significance of India’s premier domestic tournament — the Ranji Trophy.
With another packed international calendar on the horizon, including India’s Test series against New Zealand and Australia in the coming months, the Ranji Trophy will once again compete for attention, lacking the star power as the top players remain occupied with international duties.
However, despite this, domestic talent from across the country will don the whites for four months of intense cricket, where conditions will vary, fitness and skills will be tested, and teams will strive to give their best.
As the game has evolved over the past decade, the Ranji Trophy has also witnessed the rise of newer teams, breaking the dominance of traditionally strong sides.
Since 2014, Karnataka has won the title just once, while Mumbai has added only two more trophies to its collection. In the same period, two less high-profile teams — Vidarbha and Saurashtra — have each claimed the title twice, with Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh winning in 2016 and 2022, respectively.
“The fact that a team like Mumbai, which is used to winning, had to wait nearly 10 years to claim a Ranji Trophy title (last season) speaks volumes about the competition,” says Chandrakant Pandit.
Pandit, who was the head coach of Vidarbha when it secured back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, also guided Madhya Pradesh to its historic win against Mumbai in the final a couple of years ago.
Ending a drought: Madhya Pradesh claimed the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 title, triumphing 69 years after its previous victory, then as Holkar, and 23 years since it last contended for this prestigious accolade in Indian domestic cricket. | Photo Credit: K MURALI KUMAR
“There is a lot of competition, and every team participating in the tournament wants to win. It’s no longer just one or two teams dominating the show,” says Pandit.
Mumbai has won the Ranji Trophy 42 times since the tournament’s inception in 1934, followed by Karnataka, which has eight titles. Until about a decade ago, it was almost expected that Mumbai would reach the final and go on to claim the trophy. But not anymore.
“That dominance among top teams is no longer visible because of the widespread nature of the game. It’s reached the nooks and corners of the country, and each State now has a lot of talent,” says Jaydev Unadkat.
An India international, Unadkat has led Saurashtra to two Ranji Trophy titles in recent years. Having witnessed these changes firsthand, he has no hesitation in admitting that alongside the growing talent pool, the facilities across the country have significantly improved — even in remote areas.
“Earlier, there was a notion that only five or six major centres had state-of-the-art facilities, but that’s no longer the case. Now, every state has a ground that is almost of international standard. Be it Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh or Jodhpur in Rajasthan — even though they don’t regularly host games — these places have some of the best practice facilities in the country,” Unadkat explains.
“These are some of the reasons why so many players are emerging from all parts of the country, and the fact that now at least 18 to 19 teams are capable of winning the Ranji Trophy shows how much the game has grown.”
Bengal captain Anustup Majumdar echoes a similar sentiment. When Majumdar and Unadkat began their careers, the idea of separate teams for red-ball and white-ball cricket was almost unheard of. “A lot of teams now have a different pool for red-ball and white-ball because of the amount of talent that we have,” Majumdar says.
Unadkat agrees. “When we started, there were about 15 or 16 players who would play in every format. But now, even the associations have realised the need for separate teams. If you look at Saurashtra, we have quite a few different players for red-ball and white-ball. The standard has really gone up,” the fast bowler adds.
Pandit, who has worked with multiple teams, notes that playing more cricket — whether red-ball or white-ball — has significantly helped players gain a deeper understanding of the game. “This wasn’t the case earlier. And having played in the IPL or other competitions, young players have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with international cricketers, giving them the confidence to perform well in domestic tournaments,” Pandit says.
“Twenty or 30 years ago, we only had the Ranji Trophy, but with T20s, players have gained a lot of experience, and they bring that experience, skill set, and mindset to red-ball cricket, which makes things exciting,” he adds.
To mitigate weather disruptions, the BCCI has split the Ranji Trophy into two phases. The tournament will start with five league matches, take a break for the white-ball competitions — Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy — and then resume.
Bifurcation of teams: Bengal captain Anustup Majumdar believes that the growing pool of talent has enabled State teams to develop separate squads for red-ball and white-ball formats. | Photo Credit: PTI
In this scenario, having two separate setups could be beneficial. In fact, Assam Cricket Association has taken the lead by appointing two different coaches. While Vivek Jaisimha will oversee the red-ball tournament, RX Murali will manage the white-ball sides. If this experiment proves successful, other states may follow suit.
But how challenging will it be for teams to switch formats with minimal turnaround time?
“It’s all about the mental switch because it’s not easy to shift to white-ball cricket after playing red-ball for a couple of months, and then switch again within a month. It’ll be interesting to see how players respond to this challenge,” says P.V. Shashikanth, former head coach of Karnataka and currently with Tripura.
Unadkat, however, points out that starting red-ball cricket as early as October could be tough for fast bowlers.
“It’s a good move by the BCCI to split the season, as it gives more game time to teams whose matches are often disrupted by extreme weather.
“But now, with the heat in many parts of the country, I don’t think the new ball will move much in the first couple of days, as it would in the winter,” Unadkat says.
“If you’re playing in Rajkot or Chennai, you’ll see a lot of reverse swing. It’s always a challenge to play five red-ball games in October when it’s still very hot, but we need to adapt to the conditions and play accordingly,” he adds.
In recent years, excelling in the IPL has often fast-tracked a player’s inclusion in the Indian team, but there are always exceptions.
A notable example is Yashasvi Jaiswal. While his stellar performances for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023 (625 runs at a strike rate of 163.61) grabbed headlines, his dominant red-ball form also helped pave the way for his Test debut.
Around the time of his Test selection, Jaiswal boasted a remarkable First-Class average in the 80s. His standout performance came in the Irani Cup in March last year, where he hammered scores of 213 and 144.
The inclusion of players like Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar and Dhruv Jurel in the Indian Test team, after strong performances in the Ranji Trophy, has also given hope to others.
“There’s no substitute for hard work,” Pandit says as he prepares for another exciting season with Madhya Pradesh.
Meanwhile, expectations will be high from Mumbai after the Irani Cup win. But Ajinkya Rahane’s side will need to stay grounded and address each challenge as it comes. With India set to play New Zealand in a three-match Test series, it’s unlikely that Mumbai’s run-machine Sarfaraz will be available for much of the Ranji Trophy.
This, however, opens the door for others to step up.
Players like Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Manav Suthar, Riyan Parag, and Abhimanyu Easwaran will be eager to make their mark, while seasoned veterans such as Wriddhiman Saha, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Rahane might see this as an opportunity to showcase their class and perhaps bow out on a high note.
With plenty of action ahead, another thrilling season of Ranji Trophy cricket awaits.