What is the Ranji Trophy?
India is a cricket-loving country. You all must have watched a cricket match on TV or have played in a cricket match yourself. You may have a favourite team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) or just be a supporter of the Indian cricket team. But do you know that every Indian state has a cricket team? Sounds fantastic, right? These state teams compete in domestic cricket tournaments (played between teams from the same country). Ranji Trophy is one of the domestic tournaments played in India. Starting in 1934, it is the most prestigious domestic tournament in India. It was named after Ranjitsinhji, the first international player from India. The Madhya Pradesh (MP) team won the Ranji Trophy this time. Let’s find out why their win is so special.
What’s so special about Madhya Pradesh’s win?
MP won the Ranji Trophy for the first time by defeating the Mumbai team. Many considered the Mumbai team to be unbeatable.
MP played in the finals only the second time and reached the final after twenty-three years.
What’s more incredible is that the coach of the MP team was Chandrakant Pandit. He was the captain when the team lost the final twenty-three years ago.
What led to Madhya Pradesh’s win?
Chandrakant Pandit brilliantly coached the MP team to victory. The MP players also performed well. Their batters scored a lot of runs, and their bowlers took a lot of wickets. Their victory was a team effort.
Will we see these players playing for India against other countries?
A star player like MS Dhoni was also selected to play for India because he performed well in domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy. So, if the players from MP continue playing well, you might see them play for India.
How do I follow domestic cricket in India?
Many domestic matches are shown live on Youtube or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) website. You can start watching games of your state team and support them. Until then, congratulations to MP for winning the Ranji Trophy!
