Beginners in the limelight as Ranji Torphy returns for the 85th edition

Vidarbha starts his title defense against Maharashtra. © TNN

It's never too early to return the ball. The Ranji Trophy, as if to mimic today's popular culture, returns home for its 85th edition, this time not only cricket, but also its own contribution to the social purge that India is at mid-nine: nine new teams in Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim and Uttarakhand will finally know the end of their financial crisis and make their debut during the 2018-2019 Ranji Trophy season which will begin on Thursday, November 1st [19]. 659007] Although the Ranji Trophy prides itself on being the first-clbad Indian competition [and probably deserves better] it has a hard time showing up this season. The BCCI house is on fire and as far as Sourav Ganguly feels "a deep sense of fear about where the Indian cricket administration is heading", in addition to the how the tournament will undeniably be encroached by the preparation of the World 2019 Cup.

That said, Ranji Trophy still has a chance despite the chaos: not to parade inclusivity, but also to rack your brains and win new fans, especially at a time when there are more questions than of answers for a first clbad cricket. .

The new format

A record 37 teams will participate in this edition of the tournament. We return to the Elite-Plate format, where the 28 existing teams were split into elite groups A, B [both having nine teams] and C elite group [10 teams] while the nine new teams are part of the group Plate.

Five teams from the Elite A and B combined groups, two teams from the Elite C group and one from the Plate group will qualify for the quarter-final, which starts on January 15th. Similarly, the first two teams qualified for the quarterfinals of the elite group C will win a promotion in the elite groups A and B. during the next season.

Who is who in the groups

Group Vidarbha, defending champion, Mumbai (41 times winner) and heavyweights like Karnataka [2013-14 and 2014-15 winner] Gujarat [2016-17 winner] and Saurashtra [2015-16 runners-up] as well Baroda, Chhattisgarh, Railways and Maharashtra.

Group B has Tamil Nadu [runners-up twice in the last seven years]] Kerala, Bengal and Madhya Pradesh [2017-18 quarterfinalists] Delhi [2017-18 runners-up] as well as Punjab, Andhra, Hyderabad and Himachal Pradesh.

Group C comprises ten teams: Rajasthan, Tripura, Services, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Goa and Assam.

Group D consists of nine new teams: six Northeast in addition to Bihar, Puducherry and Uttarakhand.

Indian players at the Ranji Trophy

The first round of The Ranji Trophy 2018-2019 begins on the same day as the fifth International of a day between the India and the Windies.After a series of three matches T20I, after which India will leave for Australia on November 16 for the series of three matches T20I.Indian players who are not part of ODI and T20I teams will then be available to participate in the first rounds of the Ranji Trophy.

– Murali Vijay and Ravichandran Ashwin have been named in the Tamil Nadu team for their match. opening against Madhya Pradesh, as was the case of Cheteshwar Pujara for Saurashtra, Gujarat will be led by Parthiv Patel, who will start as a substitute goaltender. India for the four tests against Australia, while Hanuma Vihari will lead Andhra. India will play a first-clbad warm-up match in Australia on November 28, giving these players at least three games in the Ranji Trophy before the Australian tour of four tests. The opening match of Mumbai against the railways, but he can still do it if he is declared in match-fit. Otherwise, Shaw will play a solitary match against Karnataka from 20 November.

– Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammed Shami will not be in the preliminary rounds of Mumbai and Bengal, but will have first-clbad games to refine their Test Skills in the next rounds.

– With Shreyas Iyer chosen for the T20 against the Windies, Yashasvi Jaiswal, 16, was named to be part of the Mumbai team.

In Focus

– Irfan Pathan will appear as Jammu and Kashmir's player coach this year. Although the team has lost its first six games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which has just finished, it has come back with three wins to bounce back and it will be interesting to keep an eye on the role Irfan in his performance this season.

– There is no Shahbaz Nadeem to start the season of Jharkhand, and for good. The Orthodox spinner of the left arm was the highest wicket taker of the 2015-16 and 2016-17 editions and finally won his first call in India for the Windies T20Is.

– Ishan Kishan, a hard-hitting box office goaltender, hits 114 in the Deodhar Trophy final and wins.

MAKING A REPORT