Overview of the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy: A Premier Cricket Tournament in India

The 2023–24 Ranji Trophy marks the 89th season of India's premier first-class cricket tournament, which ran from January 5 to March 14, 2024. Defending champions Saurashtra aimed to secure their third title after clinching the trophy in previous seasons.

Tournament Structure

The tournament featured a total of 38 teams, divided into two categories: the Elite category with 32 teams split into four groups, and the Plate category consisting of 6 teams.

• Elite Category: Teams competed in a round-robin format within their groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals.

• Plate Category: Similar to the Elite groups, teams played each other once, but the top four teams qualified for knockout matches. The bottom two teams faced off for the fifth and sixth positions, while a separate playoff determined the third and fourth positions. The two finalists from the Plate category would earn promotion to the Elite group for the 2024–25 season, whereas the bottom two teams across all Elite groups would be relegated to the Plate group based on their performance.

League Stage Teams

The league stage comprised various teams categorized under different groups:

Elite Category:

• Group A:

  • Services
  • Baroda
  • Jammu & Kashmir
  • Maharashtra
  • Tripura
  • Odisha
  • Mumbai
  • Meghalaya

• Group B:

  • Himachal Pradesh
  • Gujarat
  • Vidarbha
  • Rajasthan
  • Puducherry
  • Andhra
  • Hyderabad (India)
  • Uttarakhand

• Group C:

  • Haryana
  • Kerala
  • Bengal
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Karnataka
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Punjab
  • Bihar

• Group D:

  • Tamil Nadu
  • Railways
  • Jharkhand
  • Delhi
  • Chhattisgarh
  • Assam
  • Chandigarh
  • Saurashtra

The 2023–24 Ranji Trophy continues to be a significant platform for showcasing cricketing talent in India, fostering competition among established teams while providing opportunities for emerging players to shine on a national stage.