The 91st Ranji Trophy season starts on October 15, 2025, and ends on February 28, 2026. This is India’s biggest domestic cricket tournament.
This year, 38 teams will play 138 matches. Vidarbha won last year and will try to defend their title.
You’ll find all the team, structure, and schedule details about the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 in this article.
How Does Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Work?
The tournament has two categories: Elite and Plate. The Elite has 32 teams divided into 4 groups. Each group has 8 teams. The Plate has 6 teams in 1 group.
| Division | Total Teams | Groups | Who Goes Forward | Moving Up/Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elite | 32 | 4 groups of 8 | Top 2 to Quarters | 1 team goes down |
| Plate | 6 | 1 group | Top 4 to Semis | 1 team goes up |
Every Elite team plays 7 matches against teams in their group. The top 2 teams from each group go to the quarterfinals. In the Plate, the top 4 teams go to knockout matches.
Normal matches are 4 days long. Quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals are 5 days long. One Plate team moves up to Elite next year. One Elite team goes down to Plate next year.
All 38 Teams Playing in Ranji Trophy 2025-26
These are the elite groups which has total 32 teams playing this year:
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| Elite A | Vidarbha, Tamil Nadu, Baroda, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra, Nagaland |
| Elite B | Kerala, Saurashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Maharashtra, Chandigarh |
| Elite C | Bengal, Gujarat, Haryana, Services, Railways, Tripura, Assam, Uttarakhand |
| Elite D | Mumbai, Delhi, Rajasthan, Hyderabad, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry |
These 6 teams want to move up to Elite next year. They are building cricket in their states.
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| Plate | Bihar, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh |
Vidarbha are the champions. Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are strong teams. Nagaland plays for the northeast states.
Karnataka has won many times before. Saurashtra and Maharashtra play well every year.
Bengal is a famous cricket state. Services and Railways are teams from government departments.
Mumbai has won the most Ranji Trophy titles. Delhi and Rajasthan are also very strong.
Elite Group Schedule
Round 1: October 15-18, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uttar Pradesh vs Andhra | Green Park Stadium, Kanpur | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Tamil Nadu vs Jharkhand | Sri Ramakrishna College Ground, Coimbatore | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Odisha vs Baroda | Barabati Stadium, Cuttack | 9:30 IST |
| 4 | Nagaland vs Vidarbha | BCCI COE Ground 2, Bengaluru | 9:30 IST |
| 5 | Kerala vs Maharashtra | Sports Hub International Cricket Stadium, Trivandrum | 9:30 IST |
| 6 | Goa vs Chandigarh | Goa Cricket Association Academy, Porvorim | 9:30 IST |
| 7 | Madhya Pradesh vs Punjab | Emerald Heights International School Ground, Indore | 9:30 IST |
| 8 | Saurashtra vs Karnataka | Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot | 9:30 IST |
| 9 | Services vs Tripura | Airforce Complex ground, Palam, New Delhi | 9:30 IST |
| 10 | Gujarat vs Assam | Narendra Modi Stadium Ground ‘A’, Ahmedabad | 9:30 IST |
| 11 | Bengal vs Uttarakhand | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 9:30 IST |
| 12 | Railways vs Haryana | C K Pithawala Ground, Surat | 9:30 IST |
| 13 | Pondicherry vs Himachal Pradesh | Siechem Stadium, Puducherry | 9:30 IST |
| 14 | J & K vs Mumbai | Sher E Kashmir Cricket Stadium, Srinagar | 9:30 IST |
| 15 | Rajasthan vs Chhattisgarh | Madan Paliwal Miraj Sports Centre, Rajsamand | 9:30 IST |
| 16 | Hyderabad vs Delhi | NexGen Cricket Ground, Hyderabad | 9:30 IST |
Round 2: October 25-28, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nagaland vs Tamil Nadu | Nagaland Cricket Stadium, Sovima | 8:30 IST |
| 2 | Uttar Pradesh vs Odisha | Green Park Stadium, Kanpur | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Andhra vs Baroda | Dr P.V.G. Raju ACA Sports Complex, Vizianagaram | 9:30 IST |
| 4 | Vidarbha vs Jharkhand | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur | 9:30 IST |
| 5 | Chandigarh vs Maharashtra | Cricket Stadium, Sector-16, Chandigarh | 9:30 IST |
| 6 | Karnataka vs Goa | KSCA Navule Stadium, Shimoga | 9:30 IST |
| 7 | Saurashtra vs Madhya Pradesh | Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot | 9:30 IST |
| 8 | Punjab vs Kerala | PCA New Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | 9:30 IST |
| 9 | Haryana vs Tripura | Chaudhry Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Lahli | 9:30 IST |
| 10 | Bengal vs Gujarat | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 9:30 IST |
| 11 | Uttarakhand vs Railways | Kaushiki Cricket Ground, Jim Corbett, Ramnagar | 9:30 IST |
| 12 | Assam vs Services | Tinsukia District Sports Association Ground, Tinsukia | 9:30 IST |
| 13 | Pondicherry vs Hyderabad | Siechem Stadium, Puducherry | 9:30 IST |
| 14 | Mumbai vs Chhattisgarh | BKC Ground, Mumbai | 9:30 IST |
| 15 | J & K vs Rajasthan | Sher E Kashmir Cricket Stadium, Srinagar | 9:30 IST |
| 16 | Delhi vs Himachal Pradesh | Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi | 9:30 IST |
Round 3: November 1-4, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baroda vs Uttar Pradesh | Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Tamil Nadu vs Vidarbha | Sri Ramakrishna College Ground, Coimbatore | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Odisha vs Andhra | Barabati Stadium, Cuttack | 9:30 IST |
| 4 | Jharkhand vs Nagaland | JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi | 9:30 IST |
| 5 | Maharashtra vs Saurashtra | Golf Club Ground, Nashik | 9:30 IST |
| 6 | Punjab vs Goa | PCA New Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | 9:30 IST |
| 7 | Madhya Pradesh vs Chandigarh | Holkar Stadium, Indore | 9:30 IST |
| 8 | Kerala vs Karnataka | KCA Cricket Ground, Trivandrum | 9:30 IST |
| 9 | Tripura vs Bengal | MBB Stadium, Agartala | 9:30 IST |
| 10 | Gujarat vs Haryana | Gujarat College Cricket Ground ‘A’, Ahmedabad | 9:30 IST |
| 11 | Services vs Uttarakhand | Airforce Complex ground, Palam, New Delhi | 9:30 IST |
| 12 | Assam vs Railways | Tinsukia District Sports Association Ground, Tinsukia | 9:30 IST |
| 13 | Delhi vs Pondicherry | Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi | 9:30 IST |
| 14 | Rajasthan vs Mumbai | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | 9:30 IST |
| 15 | Chhattisgarh vs J & K | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, Raipur | 9:30 IST |
| 16 | Himachal Pradesh vs Hyderabad | Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium, Amtar | 9:30 IST |
Round 4: November 8-11, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uttar Pradesh vs Nagaland | Green Park Stadium, Kanpur | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Andhra vs Tamil Nadu | Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA VDCA Stadium, Vizag | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Vidarbha vs Odisha | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur | 9:30 IST |
| 4 | Baroda vs Jharkhand | Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara | 9:30 IST |
| 5 | Maharashtra vs Karnataka | Golf Club Ground, Nashik | 9:30 IST |
| 6 | Goa vs Madhya Pradesh | Goa Cricket Association Academy, Porvorim | 9:30 IST |
| 7 | Chandigarh vs Punjab | Cricket Stadium, Sector-16, Chandigarh | 9:30 IST |
| 8 | Kerala vs Saurashtra | KCA Cricket Ground, Trivandrum | 9:30 IST |
| 9 | Tripura vs Assam | MBB Stadium, Agartala | 9:30 IST |
| 10 | Gujarat vs Services | Gokulbhai Somabhai Patel Stadium, Nadiad | 9:30 IST |
| 11 | Railways vs Bengal | Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, Surat | 9:30 IST |
| 12 | Haryana vs Uttarakhand | Chaudhry Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Lahli | 9:30 IST |
| 13 | Chhattisgarh vs Pondicherry | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, Raipur | 9:30 IST |
| 14 | Mumbai vs Himachal Pradesh | BKC Ground, Mumbai | 9:30 IST |
| 15 | Delhi vs J & K | Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi | 9:30 IST |
| 16 | Hyderabad vs Rajasthan | NexGen Cricket Ground, Hyderabad | 9:30 IST |
Round 5: November 16-19, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tamil Nadu vs Uttar Pradesh | Sri Ramakrishna College Ground, Coimbatore | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Jharkhand vs Andhra | Keenan Stadium, Jamshedpur | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Odisha vs Nagaland | KIIT Cricket Stadium, Bhubaneshwar | 9:30 IST |
| 4 | Vidarbha vs Baroda | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur | 9:30 IST |
| 5 | Punjab vs Maharashtra | PCA New Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | 9:30 IST |
| 6 | Saurashtra vs Goa | Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C, Rajkot | 9:30 IST |
| 7 | Madhya Pradesh vs Kerala | Holkar Stadium, Indore | 9:30 IST |
| 8 | Karnataka vs Chandigarh | KSCA Stadium, Hubli | 9:30 IST |
| 9 | Railways vs Tripura | Sardar Patel Stadium, Valsad | 9:30 IST |
| 10 | Uttarakhand vs Gujarat | Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, Dehradun | 9:30 IST |
| 11 | Bengal vs Assam | Bengal Cricket Academy Ground, Kalyani | 9:30 IST |
| 12 | Haryana vs Services | Chaudhry Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Lahli | 9:30 IST |
| 13 | Mumbai vs Pondicherry | BKC Ground, Mumbai | 9:30 IST |
| 14 | Himachal Pradesh vs Chhattisgarh | Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium, Amtar | 9:30 IST |
| 15 | J & K vs Hyderabad | Hostel Ground JKCA, Jammu | 9:30 IST |
| 16 | Rajasthan vs Delhi | Madan Paliwal Miraj Sports Centre, Rajsamand | 9:30 IST |
Round 6: January 22-25, 2026
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uttar Pradesh vs Jharkhand | Victoria Park Stadium, Meerut | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Odisha vs Tamil Nadu | Barabati Stadium, Cuttack | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Andhra vs Vidarbha | Dr P.V.G. Raju, ACA Sports Complex, Vizianagaram | 9:30 IST |
| 4 | Baroda vs Nagaland | Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara | 9:30 IST |
| 5 | Maharashtra vs Goa | Deccan Gymkhana Cricket Ground, Pune | 9:30 IST |
| 6 | Karnataka vs Madhya Pradesh | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 9:30 IST |
| 7 | Saurashtra vs Punjab | Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot | 9:30 IST |
| 8 | Kerala vs Chandigarh | KCA Cricket Ground, Trivandrum | 9:30 IST |
| 9 | Tripura vs Uttarakhand | MBB Stadium, Agartala | 9:30 IST |
| 10 | Gujarat vs Railways | Narendra Modi Stadium Ground ‘A’, Ahmedabad | 9:30 IST |
| 11 | Bengal vs Services | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 9:30 IST |
| 12 | Assam vs Haryana | ACA Cricket Academy Ground, Fulung, North Guwahati | 9:30 IST |
| 13 | Pondicherry vs J & K | Siechem Stadium, Puducherry | 9:30 IST |
| 14 | Hyderabad vs Mumbai | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | 9:30 IST |
| 15 | Chhattisgarh vs Delhi | TBD | 9:30 IST |
| 16 | Rajasthan vs Himachal Pradesh | Madan Paliwal Miraj Sports Centre, Rajsamand | 9:30 IST |
Round 7: January 29 – February 1, 2026
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vidarbha vs Uttar Pradesh | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Tamil Nadu vs Baroda | Sri Ramakrishna College Ground, Coimbatore | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Nagaland vs Andhra | Nagaland Cricket Stadium, Sovima | 9:30 IST |
| 4 | Jharkhand vs Odisha | Keenan Stadium, Jamshedpur | 9:30 IST |
| 5 | Madhya Pradesh vs Maharashtra | Holkar Stadium, Indore | 9:30 IST |
| 6 | Goa vs Kerala | Goa Cricket Association Academy, Porvorim | 9:30 IST |
| 7 | Punjab vs Karnataka | PCA New Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh | 9:30 IST |
| 8 | Chandigarh vs Saurashtra | Cricket Stadium, Sector-16, Chandigarh | 9:30 IST |
| 9 | Tripura vs Gujarat | MBB Stadium, Agartala | 9:30 IST |
| 10 | Haryana vs Bengal | Chaudhry Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Lahli | 9:30 IST |
| 11 | Uttarakhand vs Assam | Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, Dehradun | 9:30 IST |
| 12 | Services vs Railways | Airforce Complex ground, Palam, New Delhi | 9:30 IST |
| 13 | Pondicherry vs Rajasthan | Siechem Stadium, Puducherry | 9:30 IST |
| 14 | Mumbai vs Delhi | BKC Ground, Mumbai | 9:30 IST |
| 15 | Hyderabad vs Chhattisgarh | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | 9:30 IST |
| 16 | Himachal Pradesh vs J & K | Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium, Amtar | 9:30 IST |
Knockout Stage
Quarter Finals: February 6-10, 2026
- QF 1: A1 vs C2 (Venue TBD) – 9:30 IST
- QF 2: B1 vs D2 (Venue TBD) – 9:30 IST
- QF 3: C1 vs A2 (Venue TBD) – 9:30 IST
- QF 4: D1 vs B2 (Venue TBD) – 9:30 IST
Semi Finals: February 15-19, 2026
- SF 1: Winner of QF 1 vs Winner of QF 4 (Venue TBD) – 9:30 IST
- SF 2: Winner of QF 2 vs Winner of QF 3 (Venue TBD) – 9:30 IST
Final: February 24-28, 2026
- Winner of SF 1 vs Winner of SF 2 (Venue TBD) – 9:30 IST
All matches are First-Class matches except the knockout stages. Total of 112 league matches plus 7 knockout matches.
Plate Group Schedule
Round 1: October 15-18, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bihar vs Arunachal Pradesh | Moin Ul Haq Stadium, Patna | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Sikkim vs Manipur | SICA ground, Rangpo | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Meghalaya vs Mizoram | MCA Cricket Ground, Polo Ground, Shillong | 9:30 IST |
Round 2: October 25-28, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manipur vs Bihar | Gokulbhai Somabhai Patel Stadium, Nadiad | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Meghalaya vs Sikkim | MCA Cricket Ground, Polo Ground, Shillong | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Arunachal Pradesh vs Mizoram | Gujarat College Cricket Ground ‘A’, Ahmedabad | 9:30 IST |
Round 3: November 1-4, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bihar vs Meghalaya | Moin ul haq stadium, Patna | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Manipur vs Arunachal Pradesh | Narendra Modi Stadium Ground ‘B’, Ahmedabad | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Mizoram vs Sikkim | Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Anand | 9:30 IST |
Round 4: November 8-11, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sikkim vs Bihar | SICA ground, Rangpo | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Mizoram vs Manipur | Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Anand | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Arunachal Pradesh vs Meghalaya | C K Pithawala Ground, Surat | 9:30 IST |
Round 5: November 16-19, 2025
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bihar vs Mizoram | Moin ul haq stadium, Patna | 9:30 IST |
| 2 | Manipur vs Meghalaya | C K Pithawala Ground, Surat | 9:30 IST |
| 3 | Sikkim vs Arunachal Pradesh | SICA ground, Rangpo | 9:30 IST |
Final: January 22-26, 2026
| Match | Teams | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plate Final | TBD vs TBD | TBD | 9:30 IST |
Note: The Ranji Trophy Plate is contested by teams that do not participate in the Elite Group. All matches are First-Class format.
Where to Watch Ranji Trophy Matches?
Start Sports Network and JioHotstar (formerly known as Disney+Hotstar) are the official streaming partners of BCCI.
So, the matches will be streamed on JioHotstar online. If you want to watch on television, then Star Sports will be showing matches on their channels as well.
Conclusion: 38 Teams Battle for India’s Oldest Cricket Trophy
The 2025-26 Ranji Trophy has 38 teams playing for five months. This tournament helps players get selected for Team India. Vidarbha will defend their title.
Strong teams like Mumbai, Karnataka, and Bengal will try to win. Six Plate teams will fight to move up to Elite.
After 91 years, the Ranji Trophy remains the most important cricket tournament in India
FAQs
38 teams play—32 in Elite and 6 in Plate.
Vidarbha won the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.
One Plate team goes up to Elite. One Elite team goes down to Plate.
Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, and Tushar Deshpande are important players.
Watch on JioHotstar or on Star Sports Network.
