New Delhi: The 92nd edition of the Ranji Trophy begins from Sunday, with much-needed star power meeting the exuberance of youth in India’s premier domestic red-ball competition. The first round will see a handful of high-profile India internationals feature before joining the India A squad for the shadow three-game red-ball tour of New Zealand.
With everyone’s attention on India’s T20 World Cup defence at home, the Ranji Trophy happenings initially flew under the radar before exploding on to the spotlight as Jammu & Kashmir clinched their historic maiden title triumph in Hubbali – led by Auqib Nabi’s 60 scalps, which led to him getting an international debut against the West Indies in Guwahati ODI last month.
As J&K prepare to defend their crown and whether they will be able to do it will make for an interesting watch. The Paras Dogra-led side will be aiming to bounce back against Madhya Pradesh in Srinagar after suffering a defeat to Rest of India in the Irani Cup.
The opening round of the 2026/27 season is set to be a blockbuster. KL Rahul (Karnataka), Yashasvi Jaiswal (Mumbai), Ravindra Jadeja (Saurashtra), Mohammed Siraj (Hyderabad), Manav Suthar (Rajasthan), Washington Sundar (Tamil Nadu), Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep (Bengal) are set to feature in the first round for their respective teams.
For some, the Ranji Trophy will be a crucial window for pressing claims for being back in national reckoning – like for Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan and Karnataka’s Karun Nair. Youngsters such as Mumbai’s Ayush Mhatre and Jharkhand’s left-handed opener Shikhar Mohan will look to enhance their reputation in red-ball cricket.
Veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who toiled hard to claim 37 wickets last season, is also back in action. Shami, who along with Mukesh and Akash, will be in Bengal, who take on Delhi in Kalyani, will be eager to break back into the Test set-up after seeing his India new-ball partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar earn a T20I recall for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
Delhi, meanwhile, restart their race for red-ball glory by sporting a revamped support staff following the appointments of former India wicketkeeper-batter Vijay Dahiya as head coach and Rajkumar Sharma, childhood coach of batting stalwart Virat Kohli, as the team mentor.
Eyes of the four-member selection panel will also be on Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey, Praful Hinge, Yash Rathod, and Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari. Seasoned campaigners such as Umesh Yadav (Punjab), Harshal Patel (Gujarat), Mandeep Singh and Hanuma Vihari (both Tripura) will shoulder vital mentorship roles.
While the opening round belongs to India’s marquee names, the coming weeks will test if a new crop of domestic heroes can rise from the relative obscurity to reshape the national red-ball talent pool.
With Arunachal Pradesh at risk of forfeiting their game against Nagaland due to the ongoing legal dispute between two factions of the Arunachal Cricket Association (ACA), it remains to be seen when the legal deadlock will end so that the state’s cricketers don’t miss out on a season of showcasing their talent.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season groups:
Group A: Bihar, Baroda, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Pondicherry, Uttar Pradesh and Vidarbha.
Group B: Karnataka, Andhra, Saurashtra, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, Tripura, Punjab, and Assam.
Group C: Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Services and Odisha.
Group D: Mumbai, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Railways.
Plate Group: Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh.
First Round games to be broadcasted: –
Jammu & Kashmir vs Madhya Pradesh – JioHotstar and Star Sports Khel
Punjab vs Assam and Bengal vs Delhi – JioHotstar
–IANS–
