: There is an ever-so-slight feast and famine feel to this season’s Ranji Trophy.
Yet, history shows that the Ranji terrain has seldom suffered a drought of great stories. The tournament is in its 10th decade, but like a classic old fiddle, it continues to play the good tunes. Harsh has since played for India (ODIs), and Smaran, following his match-winning effort for Rest of India in the recent Irani Cup, will soon fly out to New Zealand with the A-squad.
Auqib Nabi’s chart-topping 60 wickets fashioned that historic triumph, and his prize was an India cap, albeit in the one-day game.
The 2026-27 Ranji Trophy will start just over a month before the first of two Tests against the Kiwis in Wellington. It is scheduled to finish on the same day Australia will end its five-Test Indian sojourn in Ahmedabad in March 2027. With the Ranji Trophy running parallelly to the National team’s busy home season, there is always a lurking fear that the tournament may struggle to attract interest. But this time, there will certainly be a National selector or two glancing over, for it will bookend India’s upcoming Test series versus New Zealand and Australia, which are also the last two opportunities for Shubman Gill & Co. to make the grade for the World Test Championship final.