The Ranji Trophy 2026-27 will begin on October 11, with 38 teams competing for the coveted title. The opening round will feature 19 fixtures across the Elite and Plate groups, with several prominent Indian cricketers expected to represent their respective state teams.
Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Mohammed Shami are among the key players featuring in the first-round fixtures. The tournament will offer domestic cricketers an opportunity to demonstrate their form and consistency in the longest format.
The top two teams from each Elite group will qualify for the quarter-finals. In the Plate group, the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals, with the finalists earning promotion. – Elite Group A: Bihar, Baroda, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh and Vidarbha. -Elite Group B: Andhra, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Punjab, Saurashtra and Tripura. – Elite Group C: Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha and Services. -Elite Group D: Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Mumbai, Rajasthan, Railways, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand. – Plate Group: Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. Here is the complete list of opening-round fixtures and venues. Sikkim vs Meghalaya -Rangpo Andhra vs Karnataka – Mulapadu Arunachal Pradesh vs Nagaland – Ahmedabad Bengal vs Delhi- Kalyani Bihar vs Uttar Pradesh- Rajgir Goa vs Baroda- Panaji Gujarat vs Odisha- Ahmedabad Haryana vs Himachal Pradesh- Rohtak Hyderabad vs Tripura- Hyderabad Jammu and Kashmir vs Madhya Pradesh- Srinagar Jharkhand vs Kerala – Jamshedpur Mizoram vs Manipur – Nadiad Mumbai vs Chandigarh- Mumbai Punjab vs Assam- Mullanpur Railways vs Uttarakhand- CCI, Mumbai Rajasthan vs Tamil Nadu- Jaipur Saurashtra vs Chhattisgarh- Rajkot Services vs Maharashtra- New Delhi Vidarbha vs Puducherry- Nagpur Several established India internationals will feature in the opening round, adding further interest to the domestic competition. – KL Rahul: The Karnataka batter will be in action against Andhra. – Mohammed Siraj: The India fast bowler is listed in Hyderabad’s squad for the season. – Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan: Both Mumbai batters are expected to feature against Chandigarh. – Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar: The Bengal squad includes all three pace bowlers. – Avesh Khan: The Madhya Pradesh squad includes the India fast bowler ahead of the clash against defending champions Jammu and Kashmir. The opening round could prove important for players looking to build match fitness and maintain form ahead of upcoming international assignments. The opening round could also face a disruption, with Arunachal Pradesh’s participation in their Plate group fixture against Nagaland reportedly uncertain amid an ongoing legal dispute between two factions of the Arunachal Cricket Association.
The first round is scheduled to run from October 11 to 14.
Defending champions Jammu and Kashmir will begin their title defence against Madhya Pradesh in Srinagar. The team will be aiming to make a strong start after losing the Irani Cup contest in Srinagar. Elsewhere, Karnataka will face Andhra in Mulapadu, while Bengal take on Delhi in Kalyani. Mumbai will begin their campaign against Chandigarh at home, with India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal among the players to watch. Delhi’s opening fixture against Bengal will also attract attention following changes to the team’s coaching setup, with Vijay Dahiya appointed head coach and Rajkumar Sharma serving as mentor. The tournament will be conducted in two phases, with the domestic white-ball competitions, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, taking place between the two phases.
The 2026-27 edition features 38 teams divided into four Elite groups of eight teams each and a Plate group comprising six teams. A total of 138 matches are scheduled across the competition. If the fixture does not take place, the number of teams taking the field in the opening round could fall below the scheduled 38-team participation.
