New Delhi. India's biggest domestic cricket tournament Ranji Trophy 2026-27 is going to start from Sunday, October 11. The team of Jammu and Kashmir, which became champion for the first time last season, will defend its title this time. A total of 38 teams will participate in the tournament and they have been divided into elite and plate groups.
38 teams, tournament divided into two groups
A total of 38 teams play in Ranji Trophy. Of these, 32 teams are placed in the elite group and six teams are placed in the plate group. Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim have got a place in the Plate group of the 2026-27 season.
The team performing better in the Plate Group is promoted to the Elite Group in the next season, while the team performing worse in the Elite Group is sent to the Plate Group.
4 groups in elite group, each team will play 7 matches
The 32 teams of the Elite Group are divided into four groups. There are eight teams in each group. In the group stage, each team competes against the other seven teams in its group.
The top two teams from each group qualify for the quarter-finals. After this, the four teams that win the quarter-finals reach the semi-finals. The two teams that win the semi-finals face each other in the final and it is from here that the new champion of Ranji Trophy is decided.
Jammu and Kashmir became champion for the first time
In the final of last season, there was a contest between Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka. Jammu and Kashmir performed brilliantly and won the Ranji Trophy title for the first time. Now the team will enter the field with the intention of defending its title in the 2026-27 season.
6 points on victory, 7 points on special victory
In Ranji Trophy, the team that wins a match gets six points. If a team wins the match by an innings or by 10 wickets, it is given an extra point and a total of seven points are added to its account.
The points system is also fixed for drawn matches. If a team is leading in the first innings when the match is drawn, it gets three points, while the team trailing in the first innings gets one point.
If the match ends without the first innings being completed, both teams are awarded one point each.
If there is a draw in the knockout, first innings lead will be decisive.
In Ranji Trophy knockout matches, in case the match is a draw, the performance of the first innings is considered decisive. The team which gains the lead in the first innings is declared the winner.
The same thing happened in the final of last season also. Jammu and Kashmir took the lead in the first innings, hence were declared champions despite the match being a draw.
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