Ranji Trophy (India) 2022/23

The Ranji Trophy is the premier domestic first-class cricket championship in India, organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It sits at the top of the Indian domestic cricket pyramid for red-ball cricket. The competition was founded in 1934, with the inaugural season played in 1934–35. The concept was proposed by Anthony de Mello, then secretary of the BCCI, during a meeting in Shimla in July 1934. The trophy itself was donated by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala, who suggested naming the competition after Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, the first Indian to play international cricket.

As of the 2024–25 season, 38 teams participate: 28 state teams, 4 union territory teams, and 2 pan-India teams (Railways and Services). The format was significantly restructured for the 2024–25 season into two divisions: the Elite Group and the Plate Group. The Elite Group consists of 32 teams divided into four groups of eight. These teams play a single round-robin league stage. The top two teams from each group (eight teams total) advance to the knockout quarter-finals, followed by semi-finals and a final. The Plate Group comprises the remaining six teams, which play a single round-robin league. The top four teams from the Plate Group enter the knockout semi-finals, with the winners contesting a Plate final.

Promotion and relegation operate between these two groups. The bottom two teams from the combined standings of the four Elite Groups (determined by points and net run rate/quotient) are relegated to the Plate Group for the following season. Conversely, the top two teams from the Plate Group (typically the finalists of the Plate knockout stage) are promoted to the Elite Group for the next season. Mumbai is the most successful team in the tournament's history, having won the title 42 times as of the end of the 2023–24 season. The current champion, for the most recently completed season (2024–25), is Vidarbha. Vidarbha defeated Kerala in the final, which ended in a draw; Vidarbha won the title due to holding a first-innings lead (379 to 342). This was Vidarbha's third title.

Historically, the tournament used a zonal system from 1934–35 until 2001–02, where teams were grouped into North, South, East, West, and Central zones. The zone winners competed in a knockout stage. This system was abolished in 2002–03 in favor of a league-based structure to improve competitive balance. The tournament has undergone various sponsorship changes, currently known as the IDFC First Bank Ranji Trophy. The Ranji Trophy is distinct from India's other major domestic limited-overs competitions, the Vijay Hazare Trophy (50-over) and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20), primarily due to its four-day match duration, which tests endurance and technique, serving as the primary pathway to the Indian national Test team.