Domestic Red-Ball Cricket Returns With Ranji Trophy Opening Matches

The 2026-27 domestic First-Class season begins on October 11 with the opening round of the Ranji Trophy, featuring 19 matches played across the country. A total of 38 teams will compete in this year's tournament, which includes 138 matches in all. The tournament schedule is split into two parts, with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy placed in between the legs.

Defending Champions and Opening Fixtures

Defending champions Jammu & Kashmir will play against Madhya Pradesh in their opening match. This game takes place only a week after their defeat in the Irani Cup in Srinagar. The tournament groups feature various regional sides, including Group A teams like Bihar, Baroda, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Pondicherry, and Uttar Pradesh. Group B consists of Karnataka, Andhra, Saurashtra, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, Tripura, and Punjab.

Squads and Key Players

Group C brings together Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Services, while Group D includes Mumbai, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Railways. The Plate Group features Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh. Several notable players feature in the squads announced for the opening round. Madhya Pradesh is led by captain Shubham Sharma and includes players like Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Sen. Karnataka features Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, and Karun Nair. Andhra's squad is captained by Ricky Bhui. India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj captains Hyderabad, with C.V. Milind as vice-captain. Bengal's squad features captain Abhimanyu Easwaran alongside international pacers Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep, and Mukesh Kumar. Kerala is led by Vishnu Vinod. Maharashtra's team features Prithvi Shaw as captain. Mumbai's squad is led by Siddhesh Lad and includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, and Ajush Mhatre as vice-captain. Tamil Nadu is captained by R. Sai Kishore, with Andre Siddarth as vice-captain and Washington Sundar also in the side.

Context

The Ranji Trophy is India's premier domestic first-class cricket championship, played annually between teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Performances in this historic tournament often serve as the primary selection ground for the Indian national Test cricket team.