The Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season begins today, Sunday, October 11, and India’s premier first-class competition returns with 38 teams, a new set of Elite groups and a crowded list of international names heading back to domestic cricket. Round 1 runs from October 11 to 14 and includes 19 matches, from Bihar against Uttar Pradesh in Rajgir to Mumbai against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium. Here is a complete guide to the format, the groups, the opening-round fixtures, the stars to watch and how to follow the action.
Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Format and Key Dates
According to the schedule published by Wisden and Cricket Addictor, the tournament window stretches from October 11, 2026 to March 2, 2027. There are 38 teams in total: 32 sides are split into four Elite groups of eight, and six teams play in the Plate group. Across both phases, the competition features 138 matches, with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy scheduled in between the two halves of the red-ball season.
The Elite league phase is split in two. The first phase runs from October 11 to November 5, 2026. After a break for the limited-overs tournaments, the league resumes on January 17, 2027. The knockouts follow, with four quarter-finals starting on February 9, two semi-finals on February 18 and the final on February 27, according to Wisden. The side finishing last in the Elite division is relegated to the Plate group, while the Plate winners are promoted. Jammu & Kashmir enter the season as the defending champions.
The Four Elite Groups and the Plate Group
The groups for 2026-27 are as follows. Elite Group A has Baroda, Bihar, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh and Vidarbha. Elite Group B has Andhra, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Punjab, Saurashtra and Tripura. Elite Group C has Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha and Services. Elite Group D has Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Mumbai, Railways, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand. The Plate group comprises Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.
Round 1 Fixtures and Venues
Round 1 has 16 Elite matches and three Plate matches. Most of the Elite games are scheduled to start at 9:30 am local time, with a couple of 9 am starts, though timings can vary by fixture. The Elite matches are listed below by group.
Elite Group A and Group B
In Group A, Bihar face Uttar Pradesh at the Rajgir International Cricket Stadium, Goa host Baroda in Panaji, Vidarbha meet Puducherry in Nagpur, and defending champions Jammu & Kashmir take on Madhya Pradesh at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar. In Group B, Andhra play Karnataka in Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad face Tripura in Hyderabad, Punjab host Assam at Mullanpur near New Chandigarh, and Saurashtra meet Chhattisgarh in Rajkot.
Elite Group C and Group D
In Group C, Bengal play Delhi at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani, Jharkhand host Kerala in Jamshedpur, Services meet Maharashtra in New Delhi, and Gujarat face Odisha in Ahmedabad. In Group D, Mumbai take on Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium, Rajasthan meet Tamil Nadu in Jaipur, Railways play Uttarakhand in Mumbai, and Haryana face Himachal Pradesh in Rohtak. The Plate fixtures are Sikkim against Meghalaya, Mizoram against Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh against Nagaland.
One caution: Outlook India reports that Arunachal Pradesh may forfeit its match against Nagaland amid a legal dispute within the state association, so that fixture’s status is uncertain.
Stars to Watch in the Opening Round
The opening round brings plenty of familiar national names back to red-ball cricket. KL Rahul features for Karnataka against Andhra. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan are named in Mumbai’s squad for the Chandigarh game, and Ravindra Jadeja is with Saurashtra against Chhattisgarh. Mohammed Siraj captains Hyderabad against Tripura, according to the Wisden squad list, though one preview says he is only “expected” to play. Bengal’s group of Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar could play against Delhi, depending on the final XI.
Shami’s presence is especially interesting after his recent comments on his India future. We covered those in our report on Mohammed Shami’s “not my loss” reaction, and the Kalyani match offers a first look at how he starts the season. Other notable names in the squads include Prithvi Shaw, who captains Maharashtra, Washington Sundar and Sai Kishore for Tamil Nadu, Karun Nair and Prasidh Krishna for Karnataka, and Rinku Singh for Uttar Pradesh.
Mumbai’s Opener at the Wankhede
Mumbai’s match against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium is among the most closely followed fixtures of the round. Before the season, Mumbai left Suryakumar Yadav out of their squad and named 19-year-old Ayush Mhatre vice-captain, which we reported in our Mumbai squad story. With Jaiswal, Sarfaraz and Mhatre all in the squad listed by Wisden, the Mumbai batting group will be tested from the first morning.
How to Watch the Ranji Trophy 2026-27
Broadcast details from Cricket Times say the Star Sports Network will carry the tournament on television, with streaming on the JioHotstar app and website. The same report warns that not every fixture is guaranteed live video coverage, so it is worth checking the broadcaster’s schedule for specific matches. Most games begin at 9:30 am IST.
Analysis: What to Look For This Season
Three themes stand out. First, the format: with relegation and promotion in play and 138 matches overall, every team has something at stake, including sides outside the traditional powerhouses. Second, the selectors’ attention. India’s national squads regularly draw on domestic form, and the number of international players returning to their state teams gives the Ranji Trophy added weight. Third, the defending champions. Jammu & Kashmir’s title makes their home opener against Madhya Pradesh a useful early test of whether last season’s success can be repeated.
Weather, pitches and the fact that the first phase is compressed into under four weeks will also shape results. Teams get only a limited number of matches before the break, so early points matter. We will track results and standings through the first phase and report on the biggest performances.
Conclusion
The Ranji Trophy 2026-27 starts with a full slate of fixtures, big names in domestic colours and a long road to the final on February 27. Whether you follow Bengal’s pace attack, Mumbai’s young batters or Jammu & Kashmir’s title defence, the opening round offers plenty to watch. Stay with Bharat Sport News for round-by-round coverage as the season unfolds.
