The Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Elite & Plate teams are confirmed for the new domestic red-ball season. A total of 38 teams will compete across the two divisions.
The Elite competition has 32 teams divided into four groups of eight. The Plate competition has six teams in one group.
The Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season starts on October 11, 2026. The league stage is split into two phases, with matches in October and November before the tournament returns in January.
Jammu & Kashmir enter the season as the defending Ranji Trophy champions. Bihar move into the Elite division after winning the 2025-26 Plate competition, while Nagaland move into the Plate group.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Teams at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Tournament | Ranji Trophy 2026-27 |
| Organiser | BCCI |
| Format | First-class cricket |
| Total Teams | 38 |
| Elite Teams | 32 |
| Elite Groups | 4 |
| Teams Per Elite Group | 8 |
| Plate Teams | 6 |
| Elite League Matches Per Team | 7 |
| Plate League Matches Per Team | 5 |
| Season Start | October 11, 2026 |
| Defending Champion | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 2025-26 Plate Champion | Bihar |
The Elite and Plate divisions run separately during the league stage.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Elite Teams
The Ranji Trophy Elite 2026-27 has 32 teams.
They are split equally across Elite Groups A, B, C, and D.
| Elite Group A | Elite Group B | Elite Group C | Elite Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baroda | Andhra | Bengal | Chandigarh |
| Bihar | Assam | Delhi | Haryana |
| Goa | Chhattisgarh | Gujarat | Himachal Pradesh |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Hyderabad | Jharkhand | Mumbai |
| Madhya Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | Railways |
| Puducherry | Punjab | Maharashtra | Rajasthan |
| Uttar Pradesh | Saurashtra | Odisha | Tamil Nadu |
| Vidarbha | Tripura | Services | Uttarakhand |
Each Elite team will play the other seven teams in its group once during the league stage.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Elite Group A Teams
Elite Group A has a mix of recent champions, strong domestic teams, and the promoted Plate winner.
| Team |
|---|
| Baroda |
| Bihar |
| Goa |
| Jammu & Kashmir |
| Madhya Pradesh |
| Puducherry |
| Uttar Pradesh |
| Vidarbha |
Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir enter the 2026-27 season as the defending Ranji Trophy champions. They won their first Ranji Trophy title in 2025-26 after taking a first-innings lead against Karnataka in the final. J&K posted 584 in the first innings of that match and dismissed Karnataka for 293. Their title-winning season also included a standout bowling campaign from Auqib Nabi, who finished with 60 wickets.
Squad: Shubham Khajuria, Yawer Hassan, Qamran Iqbal, Paras Dogra (c), Kawalpreet Singh, Shubham Pundir, Abdul Samad, Lone Nasir Muzaffar, Sahil Lotra, Abid Mushtaq, Kanhaiya Wadhawan, Umran Malik, Sunil Kumar, Umar Nazir Mir, Waseem Bashir, Vanshaj Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Auqib Nabi.
Vidarbha
Vidarbha remain one of the stronger red-ball sides in Indian domestic cricket. They have won multiple Ranji Trophy titles in recent seasons and will again compete in Elite Group A.
Squad: Danish Malewar, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Ravikumar Samarth, Dhruv Shorey, Atharva Taide, Ganesh Bhosle, Nachiket Bhute, Yash Kadam, Harsh Dubey, Darshan Nalkande, Satyam Bhoyar, Akshay Wadkar, Shivam Deshmukh, Parth Rekhade, Rajneesh Gurbani, Praful Hinge.
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh have also won the Ranji Trophy in the modern era. Their place in Group A gives the section several teams with recent knockout experience.
Squad: Shubham Sharma (c), Atharv Mahajan, Himanshu Shinde, Saransh Jain, Shivang Kumar, Yash Dubey, Harsh Gawali, Himanshu Mantri, Chanchal Rathore, Kumar Kartikeya, Aryan Pandey, Anubhav Agarwal, Roshan Kewat, Akshay Sharma, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Ravi Kiran.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh are another established Ranji Trophy team. They will play seven league matches as they look for a top-two finish in Group A.
Squad: Rinku Singh, Abhishek Goswami, Aaradhya Yadav, Madhav Kaushik, Priyam Garg, Karan Sharma, Prashant Veer, Aryan Juyal (c), Aaditya Sharma, Siddarth Yadav, Kartik Yadav, Zeeshan Ansari, Yash Dayal, Abhinandan Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Vansh Chaudhary.
Baroda
Baroda have a long history in India’s domestic first-class competition. Their Group A schedule includes matches against Jammu & Kashmir, Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh.
Squad: Priyanshu Moliya, Shashwat Rawat, Shivalik Sharma, Deepak Hooda, Atit Sheth (c), Aryan Chavda, Raj Limbani, Mahesh Pithiya, Mitesh Patel, Akshay More, Bhargav Bhatt, Rasikh Salam Dar, Lakshit Toksiya.
Goa
Goa stay in the Elite division for 2026-27. They open their season against Baroda.
Squad: Deepraj Gaonkar, Snehal Kauthankar, Darshan Misal, Manthan Khutkar, Mohit Redkar, Lalit Yadav, Suyash Prabhudessai, Abhinav Tejrana (c), Yash Kasvankar, Shivendra Bhujbal, Rajashekhar Harikant, Felix Alemao, Vasuki Koushik, Amulya Pandrekar, Ruthvik Naik, Shubham Tari.
Puducherry
Puducherry continue in the Elite competition. They will face each of the other seven Group A teams once.
Squad: Mohit Kale, Nikhil Gangta, Neyan Shyam Kangayan (c), Logesh Prabagaran, Tahir Bhat, Karan Kannan, Thamaraikannan Parandaman, Aman Khan, Prasad Pawar, Ankit Sharma, Gaurav Yadav, Sagar Trivedi, Sagar Udeshi, Vijai Raja, Sivamurugan Murugaiyan.
Bihar
Bihar are one of the key changes in the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 team list. They played in the Plate division in 2025-26 and won the Plate final against Manipur by 568 runs. That title earned Bihar promotion to the Elite division for 2026-27.
Squad: Piyush Singh, Sakibul Gani, Suraj Kashyap, Khalid Alam, Mangal Mahrour, Prithvi Raj, Akash Raj, Shabbir Khan, Amod Yadav, Bipin Saurabh, Ayush Loharuka, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar, Sakib Hussain, Himanshu Singh, Naman Gaurav, Raghuvendra Pratap Singh, Sraman Nigrodh.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Elite Group B Teams
Elite Group B contains several former Ranji Trophy winners.
| Team |
|---|
| Andhra |
| Assam |
| Chhattisgarh |
| Hyderabad |
| Karnataka |
| Punjab |
| Saurashtra |
| Tripura |
Karnataka
Karnataka were the Ranji Trophy runners-up in 2025-26. They reached the final before Jammu & Kashmir took the title on first-innings lead. Karnataka have also been one of the most successful teams in Ranji Trophy history.
Squad: Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Smaran Ravichandran (c), Aneesh KV, Devdutt Padikkal, Aneeshwar Gautam, Manvanth Kumar L, KL Rahul, Krishnan Shrijith, Kruthik Krishna, Shreyas Gopal, Ritesh Bhatkal, Shikhar Shetty, Abhilash Shetty, Prasidh Krishna, LR Kumar.
Saurashtra
Saurashtra have won the competition twice in recent years and remain a regular contender in red-ball cricket. Their Group B opponents include Karnataka, Punjab and Hyderabad.
Squad: Arpit Vasavada, Vishvaraj Jadeja, Jay Gohil, Hetvik Kotak, Chirag Jani, Prerak Mankad, Arth Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Parth Bhut, Sammar Gajjar, Harvik Desai, Tarang Gohel, Jaydev Unadkat (c), Chetan Sakariya, Neel Pandya, Ankur Panwar.
Punjab
Punjab continue in Elite Group B. They will play seven league matches, including a final-round fixture against Karnataka.
Squad: Harnoor Singh, Anshul Chaudhary, Gursimran Singh, Harjas Singh Tandon, Jashanpreet Singh, Uday Saharan (c), Ramandeep Singh, Vihaan Malhotra, Sanvir Singh, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Salil Arora, Anmol Malhotra, Gurnoor Brar, Harpreet Brar, Umesh Yadav.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad are one of the traditional Ranji Trophy sides. They remain in the Elite division and will compete against Karnataka, Saurashtra and the other Group B teams.
Squad: Tanmay Agarwal, Abhirath Reddy, Gahlaut Rahul Singh, Kodimela Himateja, Pragnay Reddy, Aelgani Varun Goud, Aniketh Reddy, Sai Vikas Reddy, Ruthik Yadav Mende, Tanay Thyagarajan, Rahul Radesh, Mohammed Siraj (c), Chama V Milind, Chinntla Rakshan Readdi, Ajay Dev Goud.
Andhra
Andhra begin their 2026-27 campaign against Karnataka. They stay in Group B throughout the league stage.
Squad: Ricky Bhui (c), Shaik Rasheed, Uppara Girinath, Kirdant Karan Shinde, Abhishek Reddy, Maramreddy Hemanth Reddy, Saurabh Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, Revanth Reddy, Satyanarayana Raju, Kavuri Saiteja, KV Sasikanth, Lalith Mohan, Seeram Venkata Rahul, Cheepurapalli Stephen.
Assam
Assam are also part of Elite Group B. They face Punjab in the opening round.
Squad: Rishav Das, Sunil Lachit, Rajveer Singh, Sibsankar Roy, Mohit Thakur, Bishal Newar, Nihar Deka, Swarupam Purkayastha, Sumit Ghadigaonkar, Anurag Talukdar, Denish Das (c), Amlanjyoti Paresh Das, Mukhtar Hussain, Dipjyoti Saikia, Roshan Alam.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh continue in the Elite division and are placed in Group B. Their first match is against Saurashtra.
Squad: Amandeep Khare, Ashutosh Singh, Aayush Pandey, Prateek Yadav, Sanidhya Hurkat, Sanjeet Desai, Sourabh Majumdar, Vashudev Bareth, Anuj Tiwary (c), Vikalp Tiwari, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Rudra Pratap Dehari, Mayank Verma, Rahul Pradhan, Dev Aditya Singh, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Mohammad Sohail, Sandeep Warrier.
Tripura
Tripura complete the eight-team Group B line-up. They start the season against Hyderabad.
Squad: Bikramkumar Das, Rajat Dey, Amit Ali, Mandeep Singh, Sridam Paul, Parvez Sultan, Hrituraj Roy, Arkaprabha Sinha, Hanuma Vihari, Bikramjit Debnath, Sandip Sarkar, Manisankar Murasingh, Abhijit K Sarkar, Sentu Sarkar, Ajay Sarkar, Swapnil Singh.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Elite Group C Teams
Elite Group C includes Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, and five other sides.
| Team |
|---|
| Bengal |
| Delhi |
| Gujarat |
| Jharkhand |
| Kerala |
| Maharashtra |
| Odisha |
| Services |
Bengal
Bengal is one of the strongest traditional teams in eastern India. They begin their league campaign against Delhi.
Squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (c), Sudip Chatterjee, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Sumanta Gupta, Rahul Prasad, Kazi Saifi, Saurabh Singh, Shakir Habib Gandhi, Anustup Majumdar, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Abishek Porel, Akash Deep, Mohammed Shami, Vikash Singh, Ishan Porel, Vishal Bhatia, Sumit Mohanta.
Delhi
Delhi have produced many India internationals and remain one of the better-known teams in the Ranji Trophy. Their Group C opponents include Bengal, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Squad: Yash Dhull, Ayush Doseja, Sarthak Ranjan, Sanat Sangwan, Ayush Badoni (c), Sumit Mathur, Hrithik Shokeen, Dev Lakra, Dhruv Kaushik, Anuj Rawat, Tejasvi Dahiya, Pranav Rajvanshi, Navdeep Saini, Simarjeet Singh, Divij Mehra, Money Grewal.
Gujarat
Gujarat have won the Ranji Trophy before and continue in the Elite competition. They open the season against Odisha.
Squad: Vishal Jayswal, Manan Hingrajia, Amit Desai, Kshitij Patel, Aarya Desai, Priyajitsing Jadeja, Siddharth Desai, Vedant Trivedi, Jaymeet Patel, Saral Prajapati, Priyesh Patel, Abhishek Desai, Urvil Patel (c), Arzan Nagwaswalla, Chintan Gaja, Harshal Patel.
Kerala
Kerala have made several knockout runs in recent seasons. They begin the 2026-27 competition against Jharkhand.
Squad: Rohan Kunnummal, Abhishek Nair, Sachin Baby, Salman Nizar, Varun Nayanar, Abhijith Praveen V, Abhishek P Nair, Jalaj Saxena, Anuraj J S, Nedumankuzhy Basil, Ahammed Imran, Vaisakh Chandran, Vishnu Vinod (c), Mohammed Azharuddeen, Aditya Sarwate, MD Nidheesh, Eden Apple Tom, Pavan Raj.
Jharkhand
Jharkhand remain in Elite Group C. They face Kerala in their first match.
Squad: Virat Singh (c), Sahil Raj, Aryaman Sen, Sharandeep Singh, Shikhar Mohan, Shresht Sagar, Aditya Chandresh Singh, Utkarsh Singh, Md Kounain Quraishi, Robin Minz, Amit Kumar, Sushant Mishra, Manishi, Jatin Pandey, Saurabh Shekhar.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra are part of Group C for the new season. Their opening fixture is against Services.
Squad: Prithvi Shaw (c), Ankit Bawne, Sachin Dhas, Atharva Dharmadhikari, Digvijay Patil, Tanay Sanghvi, Rushikesh Sonawane, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Vaibhav Darkunde, Saurabh Nawale, Siddhesh Veer, Pradeep Dadhe, Mukesh Choudhary, Vicky Ostwal, Harshal Kate, Hitesh Walunj.
Odisha
Odisha will also play in Elite Group C. Their first match comes against Gujarat.
Squad: Aasirwad Swain, Shantanu Mishra, Swastik Samal, Prasanta Rana, Sandeep Pattnaik, Om T Munde, Gourav Choudhary, Subhranshu Senapati (c), Ninad Ashvinkumar Rathva, Soumya Ranjan Lenka, Sayed Tufayl Ahmad, Shreyansh Bhardwaj, Sambit Beja, Dinesh Majhi, Rajesh Mohanty, Lalit M Yadav, Badal Biswal.
Services
Services complete the Group C line-up. They will play seven league matches in the group.
Squad: Devender Lohchab, Nakul Sharma, Amit Pachhara, Ravi Chauhan, Nitin Tanwar, Rajat Paliwal, Mohit Ahlawat, Arjun Sharma, Rahul Singh, Varun Choudhary, Vineet Dhankhar, Jayant Goyat, Pulkit Narang, Pal Raj Bahadur.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Elite Group D Teams
Elite Group D includes Mumbai, the most successful team in Ranji Trophy history.
| Team |
|---|
| Chandigarh |
| Haryana |
| Himachal Pradesh |
| Mumbai |
| Railways |
| Rajasthan |
| Tamil Nadu |
| Uttarakhand |
Mumbai
Mumbai have won more Ranji Trophy titles than any other team. They start their 2026-27 campaign against Chandigarh. Their group also includes Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Railways and Rajasthan.
Squad: Siddhesh Lad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Suved Parkar, Shams Mulani, Musheer Khan, Divyansh Joshi, Atharva Ankolekar, Tanush Kotian, Sylvester DSouza, Akash Anand, Hardik Tamore, Mohit Avasthi, Tushar Deshpande, Onkar Tarmale.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu are another major domestic side in Group D. They open against Rajasthan.
Squad: Andre Siddarth C, Athish SR, Vimal Khumar, Nidhish Rajagopal, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore (c), Sonu Yadav, Ajitesh Guruswamy, Narayan Jagadeesan, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, S Ajith Ram, Deepesh Devendran, Govinth Ganesh, Jeganathan Hemchudeshan, P Saravana Kumar, Pranav Raghavendra.
Haryana
Haryana begin their season against Himachal Pradesh. They remain part of the Elite division after competing in the top tier last season.
Squad: Ankit Rajesh Kumar (c), Himanshu Rana, Samant Jakhar, Aman Kumar, Rishant Kohli, Kanishk Chouhan, Anshul Kamboj, Yashvardhan Dalal, Kapil Hooda, Vaibhav Arora, Nikhil Kashyap, Anuj Thakral, Ajit Chahal, Kunal Singh, Dheeru Singh.
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand continue in Elite Group D. They open their campaign against Railways. Uttarakhand also reached the semi-final stage of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy.
Squad: Lakshya Rajesh Raichandani, Avneesh Sudha, Aarav Mahajan, Vaibhav Kandpal, Dega Nischal, Aanjaneya Suryavanshi, Kunal Chandela, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Mayank Mishra, Deepak Dhapola, Jagmohan Nagarkoti, Saurabh Rawat, Sanskar Rawat, Agnivesh Ayachi, Janmejay Joshi, Aditya Rawat, Jagadeesha Suchith, Devendra Singh Bora, Harsh Patwal.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan have won the Ranji Trophy twice. They will play seven Group D league matches.
Squad: Sumit Godara, Karan Lamba, Darshan Jain, Sachin Yadav, Mahipal Lomror, Manav Suthar (c), Mukul Choudhary, Kartik Sharma, Kukna Ajay Singh, Chetan Sharma, D Bhambhu, Hemant Kumar, Akash Maharaj Singh.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh are part of Group D and begin against Haryana.
Squad: Nehal Wadhera, Pukhraj Mann, Shubham Arora, Amanpreet Singh, Mukul Negi, Nitin Sharma, Aryaman Singh Dhaliwal, Innesh Mahajan, Vaibhav Kalta, Akash Vasisht, Arpit Guleria, Divesh Sharma, Hritik Kalia, Harshit Sandal, Jitender Rana.
Railways
Railways remain in the Elite competition. Their first fixture is against Uttarakhand.
Squad: Vivek Singh, Bhargav Merai (c), Kunal Yadav, Mohammad Saif, Eshaan Goyal, Himanshu Sangwan, Adarsh Singh, Zubair Ali khan, Raj Choudhary, Pradhyumn Parikh, Toufik Uddin Mondal, Suraj Ahuja, Ravi Singh, Sahab Yuvraj, Kush Marathe.
Chandigarh
Chandigarh complete the Group D line-up. They start against Mumbai in the opening round.
Squad: Manan Vohra, Akshit Rana, Arslan Khan, Shivam Bhambri, Rohit Dhanda, Jagjit Singh, Raj Bawa, Arjun Azad, Anirudh Kanwar, Nehal Pajni, Karthik Sandil, Nishunk Birla, Arjit Pannu, Dipender Kush.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Plate Teams
Six teams will compete in the Ranji Trophy Plate 2026-27.
| Team |
|---|
| Arunachal Pradesh |
| Manipur |
| Meghalaya |
| Mizoram |
| Nagaland |
| Sikkim |
Each team plays five league matches because every Plate side faces the other five teams once.
The top two teams will qualify for the Plate final.
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh remains in the Plate division for 2026-27. Their opening match is against Nagaland.
Squad: Neelam Obi (c), Nabam Hachang, Nabam Natung, Nazeeb Saiyed, Techi Neri, Myendung Singpho, Techi Sonam, Licha Jhon, Nabam Tatang, Techi Doria, Penjor Mangal, Anurag Yadav, Subhajit Paul, Amit Yadav, Biki Kumar, Kamsha Yangfo, Yab Niya, Tadakamalla Mohith, Limar Dabi, Siddharth Balodi, Harsh Saini.
Manipur
Manipur finished as the Plate runners-up in 2025-26. They lost the final to Bihar in Patna. Manipur begin the new season against Mizoram.
Squad: Kangabam Priyojit Singh, Al Bashid Muhammed, Johnson Singh, Langlonyamba Keishangbam, Ronald Longjam, Karnajit Yumnam, Basir Rahman, Soubam Rohit Kiran Singh, Ulenyai Khwairakpam, Pheiroijam Jotin, Bishworjit Konthoujam, L Kishan Singha, Ajay Lamabam Singh, Rex Rajkumar.
Meghalaya
Meghalaya continue in the Plate group. They open their campaign against Sikkim.
Squad: Kishan Lyngdoh, Aryan Bora, Rahul Dalal, Ram Gurung, Jaskirat Singh, Joydeepan Deb, Bipin Ray, Arpit Subash Bhatewara, Ajay Duhan, Abhishek Kumar, Swastic Chettri, Mewada Shylla, PM Santhosh.
Mizoram
Mizoram remain in the Plate competition. Their first fixture is against Manipur.
Squad: Vikash Kumar, Joseph Lalthankhuma (c), Remruatdika Ralte, Lalhruaizela, Lalnun Tluanga, Lalrempuia, Nasib Rai, Bobby Zothansanga, Chinmay Sutar, Sahil Reza, Jehu Anderson, Manender Narender Singh, Sahil Sharma, Khiangte Vanrotlinga.
Nagaland
Nagaland move from the Elite competition into the Plate division for 2026-27. They were part of Elite Group A in 2025-26 but are now one of the six Plate teams. Their first Plate match is against Arunachal Pradesh.
Squad: Joshua Ozukum, Hokaito Zhimomi, Rongsen Jonathan, Sedezhalie Rupero, Yugandhar Singh, Vino Zhimomi, Akamu Sumi, Imliwati Lemtur, Saurav Kumar, Bikram Chetri, Chetan Bist, Chopise Hopongkyu, Odilemba Kichu, Anil Gupta, Nagaho Chishi.
Sikkim
Sikkim completes the Plate group. They begin their season against Meghalaya.
Squad: Pranesh Chettri, Ashish Thapa, Anwesh Sharma, Ankur Malik, Nilesh Lamichaney, Amit Rajera, Lee Yong Lepcha (c), Gurinder Singh, Robin Limboo, Palzor Tamang, Bijay Prasad, K Sai Satwik, Arun Chettri, Kranthi Kumar, Bhim Luitel.
Which Team Was Promoted to the Ranji Trophy Elite Division?
Bihar were promoted to the Elite Division for the 2026-27 season.
Bihar dominated the 2025-26 Plate final against Manipur.
They scored 522 and 505/6 declared, while Manipur made 264 and 195.
Bihar won the match by 568 runs.
The result made Bihar the Plate champions, and they now move into Elite Group A.
Which Team Moved to the Plate Division?
Nagaland moved into the Plate Division for 2026-27.
They competed in the Elite group stage in 2025-26.
The 2026-27 team list now places Nagaland alongside Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim in the Plate competition.
This is the main promotion and relegation change between the two Ranji Trophy divisions for the new season.
How the Ranji Trophy Elite Format Works
The Elite division has:
- 32 teams
- 4 groups
- 8 teams in each group
- 7 league matches per team
- 56 league matches in total
Each team faces every other team in its group once.
After all seven rounds, the top two teams from each group qualify for the quarter-finals.
That sends eight teams into the knockout stage.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Elite Qualification
| Group | Teams Qualifying |
|---|---|
| Elite Group A | Top 2 |
| Elite Group B | Top 2 |
| Elite Group C | Top 2 |
| Elite Group D | Top 2 |
| Total Quarter-finalists | 8 |
The quarter-final pairings follow the cross-group format.
- A1 vs C2
- B1 vs D2
- C1 vs A2
- D1 vs B2
The four winners move to the semi-finals before the last two teams contest the final.
How the Ranji Trophy Plate Format Works
The Plate division is smaller. It has six teams in one group. Each side plays five league matches.
| Detail | Plate Format |
|---|---|
| Teams | 6 |
| Groups | 1 |
| League Matches Per Team | 5 |
| Total League Matches | 15 |
| Teams in Final | 2 |
| Plate Final | January 24 to 28, 2027 |
The top two Plate teams qualify for the final.
Elite vs Plate Teams in Ranji Trophy 2026-27
| Detail | Elite | Plate |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | 32 | 6 |
| Groups | 4 | 1 |
| Teams Per Group | 8 | 6 |
| Matches Per Team | 7 | 5 |
| League Matches | 56 | 15 |
| Qualification | Top 2 from each group | Top 2 overall |
| Knockout Structure | QF, SF, Final | Final |
Both divisions use first-class cricket rules, but the competition structure is different because of the number of teams.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Teams by Region
The Ranji Trophy brings together teams from states, union territories, and institutional sides.
North
Teams such as Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Chandigarh, Services, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are part of the wider northern domestic cricket setup.
West
Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Baroda, Goa, Rajasthan and Saurashtra are among the western teams.
South
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra, Hyderabad and Puducherry represent major parts of southern India.
East and Central
Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are among the teams from the eastern and central regions.
North East
Assam and Tripura compete in the Elite division.
Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim make up the Plate group.
The exact Ranji Trophy groups are not purely regional. BCCI groupings are designed around the competition structure rather than simple geographic zones.
Defending Ranji Trophy Champion: Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir created history in the 2025-26 season. They reached their first Ranji Trophy final and faced Karnataka in Hubballi. J&K scored 584 in their first innings. Karnataka replied with 293.
The final ended in a draw, but Jammu & Kashmir won the title because they had the first-innings lead. It was their first Ranji Trophy championship.
Shubham Pundir scored 121 in the first innings, while Auqib Nabi took five wickets as J&K built the decisive lead.
Jammu & Kashmir now begin their title defence from Elite Group A.
Most Successful Ranji Trophy Team
Mumbai remain the most successful side in the history of the Ranji Trophy.
Their long record of domestic success gives Group D one of the competition’s biggest names.
Karnataka, Delhi, Baroda, Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra and Vidarbha are among the other teams in the 2026-27 Elite field that have won the Ranji Trophy before.
The season also includes newer winners such as Jammu & Kashmir, who joined the champions list in 2025-26.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Team Changes From Last Season
The total number of teams remains 38.
The main movement between divisions is:
| Change | Team |
|---|---|
| Promoted to Elite | Bihar |
| Moved to Plate | Nagaland |
Bihar replace Nagaland in the Elite field.
The remaining Plate teams are Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim.
Are Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Player Squads Announced?
The team and group list is confirmed, but complete player squads can be announced separately by the respective state cricket associations.
Squads can also change before or during the season because of India selection, injuries, availability and state selection decisions.
Fans should therefore separate the confirmed tournament teams from the final playing squads.
A player being part of a state in another BCCI competition does not automatically confirm their Ranji Trophy selection.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Key Team Numbers
| Stat | Number |
|---|---|
| Total Teams | 38 |
| Elite Teams | 32 |
| Plate Teams | 6 |
| Elite Groups | 4 |
| Teams in Each Elite Group | 8 |
| Elite Matches Per Team | 7 |
| Plate Matches Per Team | 5 |
| Elite Quarter-finalists | 8 |
| Plate Finalists | 2 |
The Elite competition remains the larger division, while the Plate group gives six teams a separate route through the season.
Total 38 Teams Will Fight for Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Title
The Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Elite & Plate teams are now set for the new domestic season.
Jammu & Kashmir lead Elite Group A as defending champions. Karnataka, Saurashtra and Punjab feature in Group B. Bengal, Delhi and Gujarat are in Group C, while Mumbai headline Group D.
Bihar return to the Elite competition after winning the 2025-26 Plate title.
Nagaland moves into the Plate group, where they join Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim.
With 38 teams spread across five groups, the Ranji Trophy again brings together almost every major state and regional cricket setup in India before the season begins on October 11, 2026.