After a long wait, Ranji Trophy will return with the 2022 edition being played in a revised format featuring two legs – here’s all you need to know about India‘s first-class tournament, from start date, schedule, teams and venues to format, groups and qualification details.
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Ranji Trophy 2022: Format
Breakdown
A total of 64 matches will be played across 62 days, with 38 teams participating in two phases (pre and post IPL 2022). 38 teams have been divided into eight Elite Groups and one Plate Group, with four teams per Elite Group and six teams in Plate Group.
Elite teams play against each other, whereas Plate teams play against three teams from the group.
Quarter-final qualification
One team from each Elite Group will qualify for the quarter-final, barring the lowest-ranked of the eight qualified teams, which will play a pre-quarterfinal with the top team from the Plate group.
The draws for the quarter-final will be carried out after the pre-quarter-final match.
Ranji Trophy 2022: Groups
Elite A: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya; Venue: Rajkot
Elite B: Bengal, Baroda, Hyderabad, Chandigarh; Venue: Cuttack
Elite C: Karnataka, Railways, Jammu & Kasmir, Pondicherry; Venue: Chennai
Elite D: Saurashtra, Mumbai, Odisha, Goa; Venue: Ahmedabad
Elite E: Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Services, Uttarakhand; Venue: Trivandrum
Elite F: Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Tripura; Venue: Delhi
Elite G: Vidarbha, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam; Venue: Haryana
Elite H: Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Venue: Guwahati
Plate: Bihar, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Arunachal Prades; Venue: Kolkata
Ranji Trophy 2022: Venues
Ahmedabad
Narendra Modi Stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium-2, Gujarat College Ground
Kolkata
Eden Gardens, Bengal Cricket Academy (Kalyani), Videocon Academy Ground, Jadavpur University Campus 2nd ground
Rajkot
SCA Stadium, SCA Stadium Khanderi B Ground, Madhavrao Scindia Ground
Haryana
Ch. Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium (Rohtak), Gurugram Cricket Ground
Delhi
Arun Jaitely Stadium, Roshanara Club Ground
Guwahati
Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Judges Field, NFRSA Ground
Cuttack
Barabati, KIIT (Bhubaneshwar), Vikas Cricket Ground (Bhubaneshwar), DRIEMS Ground
Trivandrum
St Xaviers’ KCA Cricket Ground, Greenfield Stadium, KCA Stadium (Mangalapuram)
Chennai
MA Chidambaram Stadium, IIT Chemplast, IC-Gurunanak College Ground
Ranji Trophy 2022: Schedule
There will be three league matches per team. The pre-IPL phase begins on February 10, two days before the start of the IPL 2022 auction.
First leg (Pre- IPL 2022): February 10, 2022, to March 15, 2022 (34 days, 57 matches)
Second leg (Post- IPL 2022): May 30, 2022, to June 26, 2022 (28 days, 7 matches)
The full list of fixtures will be updated once available. Updated till February 3, 2022.
