The 2026-27 Ranji Trophy, the 92nd edition of India’s premier first-class competition, began on 11 October with 19 matches in the opening round, Sportstar reported. Several of the stories came from the second day on Monday, 12 October.
Quick Facts
| Season began | 11 October 2026 (92nd edition) |
| Opening round | 19 matches |
| Defending champions | Jammu and Kashmir, against Madhya Pradesh |
| Hat-trick | Tushar Deshpande, Mumbai v Chandigarh, Wankhede Stadium |
| Century | Ravindra Jadeja, 102 for Saurashtra v Chhattisgarh, Rajkot |
Deshpande’s Hat-Trick
Mumbai pacer Tushar Deshpande dismissed Arjun Azad, Shivam Bhambri and Dipender Kush in successive deliveries in the 11th over, leaving Chandigarh at 37 for six in reply to Mumbai’s 429. He had figures of five for 17. Sportstar noted that he had missed out on India A’s tour of New Zealand despite doing well against Australia A.
He became only the sixth Mumbai bowler to take a Ranji hat-trick. The others: Jehangir Khot (1943-44), Umesh Kulkarni (1963-64), Abdul Ismail (1973-74), Royston Dias (2023-24) and Shardul Thakur (2024-25).
Jadeja Gets Ready for New Zealand
Ravindra Jadeja scored his 16th first-class century for Saurashtra against Chhattisgarh at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, before he was caught and bowled for 102 by former Saurashtra teammate Dharmendrasinh Jadeja. He is using the match as red-ball practice before India’s two-Test tour of New Zealand: the first Test is in Wellington from 19 to 23 November and the second in Christchurch from 27 November to 1 December.
Other Hundreds
- **Abishek Porel** reached his hundred for Bengal, who were 266 for three at the time
- **Karan Lamba** scored an unbeaten 103 off 135 balls for Rajasthan against Tamil Nadu in Jaipur, on his return to the Ranji Trophy after two years; debutant Rohan Rajbhar made 95 as Rajasthan reached 286 for four on day one
Injury Concern
Tamil Nadu’s Sai Sudharsan returned to bat after hobbling off with an injury on day two, and fell for 3 again, Sportstar reported.
Featured image: Jammu and Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi bowling in a Ranji Trophy match, November 2024 (file photo). Photo by Tungtap, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.