Ranji Trophy 2025-26: Teams & Groups, Format, 1st Round Schedule, Live Streaming - All You Need To Know

The Ranji Trophy 2025-26, India's premier domestic first-class cricket tournament, is all set to begin on October 15, 2025, running till February 2026.

This 91st edition features a total of 38 teams divided into two divisions: the Elite Group with 32 teams split into four groups of eight teams each, and the Plate Group consisting of 6 teams battling for promotion to the Elite division next season. The tournament will comprise 138 matches overall, including the group stages and knockout rounds.

Vidarbha enters as the defending champions and recent Irani Cup winners, making them marginal favourites given their strong squad depth and recent consistent performances. Mumbai remains the most successful team in Ranji Trophy history with 42 titles but

has not won recently.

Several rising stars and experienced campaigners across the groups promise a competitive season. The format involves single round-robin matches within each group, with the top two teams advancing to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and ultimately the final.

Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Format

• Elite Groups (4 groups x 8 teams): Each team plays 7 matches in the league stage.
• Top 2 teams from each group qualify for the quarter-finals.
• Plate Group (6 teams): Top 2 teams play a final to decide promotion.
• Bottom-ranked Elite team relegated to Plate group for next season.
• Group stage matches are played over 4 days; knockout matches over 5 days

Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Teams and Groups

Elite Group A: Tamil Nadu, Baroda, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Andhra Pradesh, Vidarbha

Elite Group B: Saurashtra, Chandigarh, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala

Elite Group C: Gujarat, Haryana, Services, Bengal, Railways, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Assam

Elite Group D: Mumbai, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Hyderabad, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry

Plate Group: Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar

Ranji Trophy 2025-26 First Round Fixtures

The 1st Round of the Ranji Trophy will start from October 15 and the matches will continue till October 18, as these are 4-day fixtures. The first five matches in the list will have an earlier start as these are being played in East India, where the sun sets early compared to other parts of the country.

Match	Group	Venue	Time (IST)
Sikkim vs Manipur	Plate Group	Rangpo	8:15 AM
Meghalaya vs Mizoram	Plate Group	Shillong	8:30 AM
Odisha vs Baroda	Elite Group A	Cuttack	9:00 AM
Bengal vs Uttarakhand	Elite Group C	Eden Gardens	9:00 AM
Bihar vs Arunachal Pradesh	Plate Group	Patna	9:00 AM
Uttar Pradesh vs Andhra	Elite Group A	Kanpur	9:30 AM
Tamil Nadu vs Jharkhand	Elite Group A	Coimbatore	9:30 AM
Nagaland vs Vidarbha	Elite Group A	Bengaluru (CoE 2)	9:30 AM
Kerala vs Maharashtra	Elite Group B	Thiruvananthapuram	9:30 AM
Goa vs Chandigarh	Elite Group B	Porvorim	9:30 AM
Madhya Pradesh vs Punjab	Elite Group B	Indore	9:30 AM
Saurashtra vs Karnataka	Elite Group B	Rajkot	9:30 AM
Services vs Tripura	Elite Group C	Delhi	9:30 AM
Gujarat vs Assam	Elite Group C	Ahmedabad	9:30 AM
Railways vs Haryana	Elite Group C	Surat	9:30 AM
Puducherry vs Himachal Pradesh	Elite Group D	Puducherry	9:30 AM
Jammu & Kashmir vs Mumbai	Elite Group D	Srinagar	9:30 AM
Rajasthan vs Chhattisgarh	Elite Group D	Rajsamand	9:30 AM
Hyderabad vs Delhi	Elite Group D	Hyderabad	9:30 AM

This season promises high-octane competitive cricket, with emerging talents and seasoned veterans showcasing their skills. The round-robin format in each group coupled with the knockout intensity sets up an exciting buildup to the title battle, with Vidarbha aiming to defend their crown against fierce challengers.

Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Live Streaming and Teleccast

The Ranji Trophy 2025-26 matches will broadcast on the Star Sports network throughout the season, selectively. A number of the matches in each round can be live-streamed via Jio Hotstar app and website.