Ranji Trophy Winners List From 1934 To 2026

The Ranji Trophy stands as India’s most prestigious domestic cricket tournament. It started back in 1934 and has been running strong ever since.

Named after Ranjitsinhji, the first Indian cricketer to make waves internationally, this competition has given us countless stars who went on to wear the India jersey.

Vidarbha claimed the 2024–25 title dramatically. They drew the final against Kerala but won based on their first-innings lead.

That’s how red-ball cricket works at this level. It gave them their third trophy and showed they’re a serious force in domestic cricket.

The 2025–26 season is underway right now, with teams battling to prove themselves and catch the eye of national selectors.

Ranji Trophy Winners List From 1934 To 2026

Complete Ranji Trophy Winners List From 1934 To 2026

The tournament has seen 90 years of intense competition across India’s cricket landscape.

Teams from every corner of the country have fought for this title. Some teams dominated for decades while others had brief moments of glory.

Here’s the full breakdown of every Ranji Trophy winner and runner-up since the tournament began:

How The Tournament Started And Grew?

The Ranji Trophy kicked off in 1934–35 with Bombay taking the first title. Back then, it was a smaller setup with fewer teams.

The tournament was named after Ranjitsinhji, who broke barriers as India’s first international cricketer playing for England in the late 1800s.

Teams were split into zones at first. North, West, East, and South zones competed separately before the knockout stages.

The Central zone joined in 1952–53, making five zones total. This system stayed in place for decades.

In 2002–03, things changed completely. The zones were replaced with a two-tier format. The elite and Plate groups took over.

The Elite group had the stronger teams, while the Plate group gave smaller cricket associations a chance to grow. Today, 38 teams compete across these divisions.

Mumbai’s Unmatched Record

Mumbai dominates the Ranji Trophy winners list like no other team. They’ve won 42 titles, which is insane when you think about it.

No other team comes close to that number. Karnataka has 8 wins, and Delhi has 7, but Mumbai’s record stands alone.

Their winning streak from the 1950s through the 1970s was something else. Between 1958–59 and 1972–73, they won 15 straight titles.

That’s 15 years of complete control. Rajasthan kept showing up as runners-up during this period, losing six finals to Mumbai.

The city’s cricket culture explains a lot of it. They had infrastructure, coaching systems, and a talent pool that fed the team year after year.

Players like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar came through this system.

Recent Champions And Changing Power

The last decade shows how things have shifted. Teams like Vidarbha, Saurashtra, and Madhya Pradesh have won titles recently.

These aren’t traditional powerhouses, but they’ve built strong squads and shown real fight.

Vidarbha’s back-to-back wins in 2017–18 and 2018–19 caught everyone’s attention.

They weren’t expected to dominate, but solid batting and disciplined bowling got them there. Their 2024–25 win proved it wasn’t just luck earlier.

Saurashtra grabbed two titles in recent years (2019–20 and 2022–23).

They’ve got grit and know how to handle pressure in knockout matches.

The fact that smaller teams can now compete shows the tournament has more balance than before.

Expert Insight: Why First-Innings Matter?

In Ranji Trophy finals, a first-innings lead can decide everything. If a match ends in a draw, whoever leads after the first innings takes the trophy.

That’s exactly what happened when Vidarbha beat Kerala in 2024–25.

This rule makes the first two days critical. Teams can’t just play for a draw from the start.

They need to put runs on the board or bowl the opposition out quickly. It adds a tactical layer that tests captains and coaches.

Think about it from a batting perspective. If you’re 150 ahead after the first dig, you can afford to play more freely in the second.

But if you’re behind, every run becomes tense. This pressure creates great cricket and separates teams that can handle it from those that can’t.

The Tournament Format Today

Right now, teams play in groups during the league phase. The Elite divisions have multiple groups with teams of similar strength.

The top performers from each group move to the knockouts.

The Plate group works differently. Teams here get fewer matches but still compete for promotion to Elite status.

It’s a chance for emerging cricket centers to prove themselves and work their way up.

Knockouts follow a traditional structure with quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final.

All matches are four-day games, which is proper first-class cricket. No shortcuts, no gimmicks, just red-ball cricket at its best.

Players Who Made Their Names Here

The Ranji Trophy has been a launchpad for basically every major Indian cricketer.

Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Kohli – they all sharpened their skills here before going international.

What makes it special is the variety of conditions. Playing in Chennai is totally different from playing in Delhi or Dharamsala.

Batters learn to adapt. Bowlers figure out what works where. That experience becomes gold at the international level.

Recent examples include Sarfaraz Khan and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Both scored big runs in the Ranji Trophy and earned India call-ups.

The tournament still works as a proving ground, even with all the T20 leagues around.

Memorable Moments Worth Knowing

The 2023–24 season gave us something wild. Mumbai’s numbers 10 and 11, Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande, both hit centuries in the same innings against Baroda.

That had never happened in first-class cricket history.

Holkar’s rivalry with Baroda in the 1940s and 1950s was intense. They met in four straight finals between 1945 and 1950.

The matches went back and forth, keeping fans hooked.

Bengal’s drought-breaking win in 1989–90 stands out too. They hadn’t won since 1938–39. Five decades is a long wait.

When they finally got it done, the celebrations were massive.

FAQs

• Which team has won the most Ranji Trophy titles?

Mumbai holds the record with 42 Ranji Trophy wins. Their dominance started in the 1930s and continues today.

• Who won the latest Ranji Trophy?

Vidarbha won the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy by defeating Kerala based on a first-innings lead in a drawn final.

• When did the Ranji Trophy start?

The tournament began in 1934–35 with Bombay winning the first edition against Northern India.

• How does the first-innings lead rule work?

If a Ranji Trophy ends in a draw, the team with the higher first-innings score wins the trophy.

• Which teams have won the Ranji Trophy recently?

Recent winners include Vidarbha (2024–25, 2018–19, 2017–18), Mumbai (2023–24), Saurashtra (2022–23, 2019–20), and Madhya Pradesh (2021–22).

Vidarbha’s Latest Title Shows Tournament’s Strength

The Ranji Trophy keeps delivering quality cricket season after season. From Mumbai’s historic run to Vidarbha’s recent success, the competition stays relevant.

It’s not just about winning – it’s about building players who can handle pressure and perform when it counts.

The 2024–25 final showed exactly why this tournament matters. Vidarbha and Kerala fought hard over four days.

Neither team backed down. The first-innings lead rule meant every session had meaning. That’s the kind of cricket that develops character.

As the 2025–26 season plays out, new stories will emerge. Young players will grab chances. Teams will battle for pride and glory.

The Ranji Trophy winners list will add another name soon, continuing a tradition that’s been going strong for over 90 years.

Also Check:

• BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award Winners List
• List of Award Winners At The BCCI Naman Awards 2026
• ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Winners List
• ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Winners List
• Super Smash Winners
• Under-19 World Cup Winners List
• Women’s Premier League WPL Winners List

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