Ranji Trophy 2022-23: Format, groups, schedule and squads

The Ranji Trophy 2022-23 marks the return of senior men’s domestic First Class cricket in India. This year, a total of 38 teams will participate in the 88th edition of the prestigious tournament which will be held in the traditional format after two years of hiatus. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition was not held in 2020–2021 and in the 2021-22 season, it was played in a scaled-back format. The Ranji Trophy 2022-23 will consist of 135 matches, beginning on 13 December 2022 and will continue till 20 February 2023. Madhya Pradesh won the 2021-22 edition by defeating Mumbai by 6 wickets in the summit game. However, Mumbai are the most successful side in history with as many as 41 titles. Let’s take a look at the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 format, groups, fixtures, squads and every other detail: Format 38 teams have been divided into five groups. Four groups with eight teams each belong to the Elite Groups while six teams have been put in one Plate Group. There will be two separate winners in Ranji Trophy this season – one for the Elite Groups and another for the Plate Group. The top two teams from each Elite Group after equal home and away matches will qualify for the quarter-finals while the bottom-placed teams will be relegated to the Plate Group for next season. In the Plate Group, each side plays the other five after which the top four will qualify for the semi-finals. The bottom two will play in a playoff for the fifth and sixth spots. There will be another playoff for the third and fourth spots. The two finalists will be promoted to Elite Group for the 2023-24 season. This season, while the group matches will be of four days, the Ranji knockout clashes will be played for five days. Ranji Trophy 2022-23 Groups:  Elite A: Baroda, Bengal, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh. Elite B: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Saurashtra, Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad, Delhi. Elite C: Kerala, Goa, Puducherry, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Services, Karnataka. Elite D: Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Railways, Gujarat, Vidarbha. Plate Group: Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram. Ranji Trophy 2022-23 Complete Schedule: (All matches will start at 9:30 AM across all venues) 13 December 2022:  Bengal v Uttar Pradesh (Elite A), Kolkata Baroda v Odisha (Elite A), Bhubaneshwar Nagaland v Uttarakhand (Elite A), Sovima Haryana v Himachal Pradesh (Elite A), Rohtak Andhra v Mumbai (Elite B), Vizianagaram Delhi v Maharashtra (Elite B), Pune Assam v Saurashtra (Elite B), Guwahati Hyderabad v Tamil Nadu (Elite B), Hyderabad Chhattisgarh v Puducherry (Elite C), Puducherry Jharkhand v Kerala (Elite C), Ranchi Goa v Rajasthan (Elite C), Porvorim Karnataka v Services (Elite C), Bengaluru Chandigarh v Punjab (Elite D), Mohali Jammu and Kashmir v Madhya Pradesh (Elite D), Jammu Railways v Vidarbha (Elite D), Nagpur Gujarat v Tripura (Elite D), Agartala Manipur v Sikkim (Plate), Rangpo Arunachal Pradesh v Bihar (Plate), Patna Meghalaya v Mizoram (Plate), Nadiad 20 December 2022:  Bengal v Himachal Pradesh (Elite A), Kolkata Baroda v Haryana (Elite A), Vadodara Odisha v Uttarakhand (Elite A), Dehradun Nagaland v Uttar Pradesh (Elite A), Sovima Assam v Delhi (Elite B), Guwahati Andhra v Tamil Nadu (Elite B), Coimbatore Maharashtra v Saurashtra (Elite B), Rajkot Hyderabad v Mumbai (Elite B), Mumbai Chhattisgarh v Services (Elite C), Delhi Karnataka v Puducherry (Elite C), Bengaluru Goa v Jharkhand (Elite C), Jamshedpur Kerala v Rajasthan (Elite C), Jaipur Chandigarh v Madhya Pradesh (Elite D), Indore Punjab v Railways (Elite D), Delhi Gujarat v Jammu and Kashmir (Elite D), Ahmedabad Tripura v Vidarbha (Elite D), Nagpur Bihar v Manipur (Plate), Ahmedabad Arunachal Pradesh v Mizoram (Plate), Anand Meghalaya v Sikkim (Plate), Shillong 27 December 2022:  Baroda v Uttar Pradesh (Elite A), Vadodara Bengal v Nagaland (Elite A), Sovima Haryana v Odisha (Elite A), Cuttack Himachal Pradesh v Uttarakhand (Elite A), Dehradun Andhra v Maharashtra (Elite B), Vizianagaram Assam v Hyderabad (Elite B), Hyderabad Delhi v Tamil Nadu (Elite B), Delhi Mumbai v Saurashtra (Elite B), Mumbai Chhattisgarh v Kerala (Elite C), Thumba Goa v Karnataka (Elite C), Porvorim Jharkhand v Services (Elite C), Jamshedpur Puducherry v Rajasthan (Elite C), Puducherry Chandigarh v Gujarat (Elite D), Ahmedabad Jammu and Kashmir v Vidarbha (Elite D), Nagpur Madhya Pradesh v Railways (Elite D), Delhi Punjab v Tripura (Elite D), Agartala Arunachal Pradesh v Manipur (Plate), Anand Bihar v Meghalaya (Plate), Shillong Mizoram v Sikkim (Plate), Rangpo 03 January 2023:  Bengal v Uttarakhand (Elite A), Dehradun Baroda v Himachal Pradesh (Elite A), Vadodara Nagaland v Odisha (Elite A), Cuttack Haryana v Uttar Pradesh (Elite A), Kanpur Andhra v Hyderabad (Elite B), Vizianagaram Delhi v Saurashtra (Elite B), Rajkot Assam v Maharashtra (Elite B), Pune Mumbai v Tamil Nadu (Elite B), Mumbai Chhattisgarh v Karnataka (Elite C), Raipur Puducherry v Services (Elite C), Delhi Jharkhand v Rajasthan (Elite C), Jaipur Goa v Kerala (Elite C), Thumba Chandigarh v Tripura (Elite D), Agartala Jammu and Kashmir v Railways (Elite D), Delhi Gujarat v Punjab (Elite D), Valsad Madhya Pradesh v Vidarbha (Elite D), Indore Bihar v Sikkim (Plate), Patna Arunachal Pradesh v Meghalaya (Plate), Anand Manipur v Mizoram (Plate), Ahmedabad 10 January 2023: Himachal Pradesh v Odisha (Elite A), Nadaun Baroda v Bengal (Elite A), Kolkata Uttar Pradesh v Uttarakhand (Elite A), Kanpur Haryana v Nagaland (Elite A), Rohtak Andhra v Delhi (Elite B), Delhi Maharashtra v Tamil Nadu (Elite B), Pune Assam v Mumbai (Elite B), Guwahati Hyderabad v Saurashtra (Elite B), Hyderabad Goa v Puducherry (Elite C), Porvorim Chhattisgarh v Jharkhand (Elite C), Raipur Kerala v Services (Elite C), Thumba Karnataka v Rajasthan (Elite C), TBC Railways v Tripura (Elite D), Delhi Chandigarh v Vidarbha (Elite D), Chandigarh Jammu and Kashmir v Punjab (Elite D), Mohali Gujarat v Madhya Pradesh (Elite D), Indore Arunachal Pradesh v Sikkim (Plate), Rangpo Manipur v Meghalaya (Plate), Shillong Bihar v Mizoram (Plate), Nadiad 17 January 2023: Baroda v Uttarakhand (Elite A), Dehradun Himachal Pradesh v Nagaland (Elite A), Nadaun Bengal v Haryana (Elite A), Rohtak Odisha v Uttar Pradesh (Elite A), Meerut Hyderabad v Maharashtra (Elite B), Pune Andhra v Saurashtra (Elite B), Rajkot Delhi v Mumbai (Elite B), Delhi Assam v Tamil Nadu (Elite B), Chennai Chhattisgarh v Rajasthan (Elite C), Jodhpur Karnataka v Kerala (Elite C), Thumba Jharkhand v Puducherry (Elite C), Puducherry Goa v Services (Elite C), Delhi Chandigarh v Railways (Elite D), Chandigarh Jammu and Kashmir v Tripura (Elite D), Jammu Gujarat v Vidarbha (Elite D), Nagpur Madhya Pradesh v Punjab (Elite D), Mohali 24 January 2023:  Baroda v Nagaland (Elite A), TBD Bengal v Odisha (Elite A), TBD Haryana v Uttarakhand (Elite A), TBD Himachal Pradesh v Uttar Pradesh (Elite A), TBD Andhra v Assam (Elite B), TBD Delhi v Hyderabad (Elite B), TBD Maharashtra v Mumbai (Elite B), TBD Saurashtra v Tamil Nadu (Elite B), TBD Chhattisgarh v Goa (Elite C), TBD Jharkhand v Karnataka (Elite C), TBD Kerala v Puducherry (Elite C), TBD Rajasthan v Services (Elite C), TBD Chandigarh v Jammu and Kashmir (Elite D), TBD Gujarat v Railways (Elite D), TBD Madhya Pradesh v Tripura (Elite D), TBD Punjab v Vidarbha (Elite D), TBD 25 January 2023: TBD v TBD (Plate Final), TBD 31 January 2023:  TBD v TBD (Quarter-final), TBD TBD v TBD (Quarter-final), TBD TBD v TBD (Quarter-final), TBD TBD v TBD (Quarter-final), TBD 8 February 2023: TBD v TBD (Semi-final), TBD TBD v TBD (Semi-final), TBD 16 February 2023: TBD v TBD (Final), TBD Live streaming The Ranji Trophy 2022-23 matches will be shown live on Star Sports channels. It will also be streamed live on Hotstar . Ranji Trophy 2022-23 Squads so far:  Madhya Pradesh (for first two matches): Aditya Shrivastav (c), Rajat Patidar, Yash Dubey, Himanshu Mantri, Harsh Gawali, Aman Solanki, Shubham Sharma, Kumar Kartikeya, Saransh Jain, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Gaurav Yadav, Yuvraj Nema, Anubhav Agarwal. Mumbai: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Prithvi Shaw, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Armaan Jaffer, Sarfaraz Khan, Suved Parkar, Hardik Tamore, Prasad Pawar, Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Awasthi, Siddharth Raut, Roystan Dias, Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Attarde, Musheer Khan. Bengal (for first two matches): Abhimanyu Easwaran (c), Manoj Tiwary, Anustup Majumdar, Abhishek Das, Suvankar Bal, Sudip Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmad, Writtick Chatterjee, Abishek Porel, Sayan Mondal, Pradipta Pramanik, Ishan Porel, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Geet Puri, Durgesh Dubey, Sumanta Gupta, Ankit Mishra. Tamil Nadu (for first three matches): B Indrajith (c), R Sai Kishore, B Aparajith, B Sai Sudharsan, N Jagadeesan. Pradosh Ranjan Paul, N S Chaturved, Affan Khader, Vijay Shankar, R Kavin, Ajith Ram, Sandeep Warrier, Aswin Crist, L Vignesh, Trilok Nag. Delhi (for first two matches): Yash Dhull (c), Himmat Singh, Dhruv Shorey, Anuj Rawat, Vaibhav Rawal, Lalit Yadav, Nitish Rana, Ayush Badoni, Hrithik Shokeen, Shivank Vashisth, Vikas Mishra, Jonty Sidhu, Ishant Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Simarjeet Singh Lakshay Thareja, Pranshu Vijayran. Kerala (for first two matches): Sanju Samson (c), Sijomon J (vc), Rohan Kunnummal, Krishna Prasad, Vathsal Govind, Rohan Prem, Sachin Baby, Shoun Roger, Akshay Chandran, Jalaj Saxena, Basil Thampi, Nidheesh M D, Fanoos F, Basil N P, Vaisakh Chandran, Sachin S, Rahul P. Vidarbha: Faiz Fazal (c), Akshay Wadkar, R Sanjay, Atharv Taide, Ganesh Satish, Mohit Kale, Apoorv Wankhede, Siddhesh Wath, Aditya Sarwate, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Wakhare, Yash Thakur, Aditya Thakre, Rajneesh Gurbani, Lalit Yadav. Odisha: Subhranshu Senapati (c), Shantanu Mishra, Anurag Sarangi, Govind Poddar, Biplab Samantray, Abhishek Raut, Rakesh Patnaik, Debabrata Pradhan, Suryakant Pradhan, Basant Mohanty, Subham Nayak, Rajesh Dhupar, Sujit Lenka, Swastik Samal, Tarini Sa, Kartik Biswal, Sourav Kanojia. Uttar Pradesh: Karan Sharma (c), Madhav Kaushik, Aanjaneya Suryavanshi, Rinku Singh, Sameer Choudhary, Priyam Garg, Akshdeep Nath, Shivam Sharma, Shiva Singh, Prince Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Shivam Mavi, Aaquib Khan, Aaradhya Yadav, Kunal Yadav. Meghalaya: Punit Bisht (c), Kishan Lyngdoh, Bamanbha Shangpliang, Sylvester Mylliempdah, Dippu Ch Sangma, Lerry Sangma, Tarique Anwar Siddique, Raj Biswa, Abhishek Kumar, Akash Kumar Choudhary, Arbin Singh, Md Nafees Siddique, Lakhan Singh, Swarajeet Das, Rajesh Bishnoi. Assam: Kunal Saikia (c), Subham Mondal, Rishav Das, Riyan Parag, Sibsankar Roy, Swarupam Purkayastha, Gokul Sharma, Avinav Choudhury, Sidharth Sarmah, Abhishek Thakuri, Akash Sengupta, Sunil Lachit, Mrinmoy Dutta, Mukhtar Hussain and Rahul Hazarika. Read all the  Latest News ****,  Trending News ****,  Cricket News ****,  Bollywood News ****,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook****,  Twitter and  Instagram****.