Cricket Trophies of India

Cricket Trophies of India are many in numbers. These trophies are for the domestic Cricket played in India. Domestic cricket in India has a history dating back to almost the same time as Indian International history.

Some of the famous Cricket Trophies of India are:

Indian Ranji Trophy:
The Ranji Trophy was started in the 1934-1935 season and it was named after KS Ranjit Sinhji Vibhaji, the Prince of Nawanagar. The Ranji Trophy is the premier domestic cricket competition held in India. The games are played amongst state and city sides.

While most of the teams represent the different states of India, Maharashtra and Mumbai have separate teams, so do Gujarat and Vadodara. Apart from the states, teams like Railways and Services are also represented. As per the old format, which was changed in 2002-03, the teams were divided into the 5 zones - North, West, East, Central and South. The top 2 teams (till1991-92) and top 3 after that from the zones played each other in the knockout round through which the eventual winner was decided. The format changed in the 2002-03 season with the elite and the plate divisions coming into play.

In the Elite group, there are two pools of 8 and 7 teams. In the plate division, there are two groups of six teams each. The top two from the groups make it to the knockout phase.

Duleep Trophy:
The Duleep Trophy is named after Kumar Shri Duleep Sinhji, the nephew of KS Ranjit Sinhji. This first class competition was started by Board of control for cricket in India. It is a tournament being played in India since 1961-62. Initially, 5 teams from 5 zones played each other in a knockout format. The championship was changed into a league format from 1993-94. West Zone beat East Zone by 5 wickets in the 2005-06 Duleep Trophy final.

Irani Trophy:
The Irani Trophy tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy Championship and is named after the late Z R Irani, who was connected with the Board of Control for Cricket in India from its inception in 1928 till his death in 1970. In appreciation of his services to Indian cricket, the BCCI instituted a trophy in his name, to be presented to the winners of a match to be played between the Ranji Trophy champions of the preceding year and a selected Rest of India XI.

The Irani Trophy game ranks very high in popularity and importance. It is one of the few domestic matches that are followed with keen interest by cricket lovers in the country. Leading players take part in the game, which has often been a sort of selection trial to pick the Indian team for foreign tours.

Deodhar Trophy:
The Deodhar trophy is named after Dinkar Balwant Deodhar, known as the grand old man of Indian cricket. Deodhar Trophy is a one-day domestic competition. Played in the standard 50 over format, the 5 teams of 5 zones battle each other on league basis. Started in 1973-74 season, South Zone won the inaugural tournament.
Kumar Shri Duleep Sinhji
Vijay Hazare Trophy
This trophy was named after the prominent Indian batsman. This competition was started in the year 2002-2003.Since its inception Tamil Nadu and Mumbai have won the trophy twice each. Now it joins the Deodhar Trophy as the second one-day competition of Indian domestic circle.

NKP Salve Challenger Trophies
The Board of Control introduced this trophy in 1994-95 for Cricket in India. The Challenger series is seen as a tournament where out of form international cricketers can try to play themselves back in form but more importantly, it is a stage where youngsters can prove their talent against the best cricketers in the country. The tournament takes place in October, prior to the start of the Ranji Trophy. Three teams - India Senior, India A & India B - take part in the tournament.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
This trophy was introduced in the year 2008-09.This is the kind of zonal T20 Championship.