Irani Cup

Irani Trophy
CountriesIndia
AdministratorBoard of Control for Cricket in India
FormatFirst-class cricket
First edition1959–60
Latest edition2023–24
Next edition2024–25
Tournament formatOne-off
Number of teams2
Current championRest of India
QualificationRanji Trophy
Most runsWasim Jaffer (1,294)[1]
Most wicketsPadmakar Shivalkar (51)[2]

The Z. R. Irani Cup, also known as the Irani Trophy, (officially as the IDFC First Bank Irani Trophy for sponsorship reasons), is an annual first-class cricket match organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and contested each season by the reigning Ranji Trophy champions and a multi-state Rest of India team (ROI) composed of players from the other state teams. The inaugural edition was played in March 1960 as a special event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Ranji Trophy. It was intended to be a one-off match but, in 1962, BCCI decided to institute it as annual fixture and it has been played in most seasons since 1962–63.[3] BCCI named the Irani Trophy after Zal R. Irani, their long-serving president and treasurer, who was a significant figure in the organisation from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970.[4]

History

The first match between the Ranji Trophy champions and the Rest of India was played in 1959–60. It was intended to be a one-off event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Ranji Trophy. In 1962, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to resurrect it as an annual event, although it did not take place in 1964–65. The trophy was named in honour of Zal R. Irani, who was a long time treasurer and president of BCCI, and a keen patron of the game. The first three matches were played towards the end of the season but then, having recognised the fixture's prestige, BCCI moved it to the beginning of the season and, from 1965–66 to 2012–13, it traditionally heralded the start of each new domestic season.

In 2013, the fixture was moved to a date immediately after the Ranji Trophy final, resulting in there being two Irani Cup matches in the 2012/13 season. The fixture has since remained at the end of the season, and is played shortly after the Ranji Trophy final.[5] Two matches were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, in 2022, BCCI decided to organise two editions back-to-back. These were the 2019–20 and 2022–23 matches, which were played at Rajkot and Indore respectively.[6]

Results

The following table lists the results of all Irani Trophy matches.[3] The source shows that ROI have taken part in all 59 matches to the most recent in October 2023, winning 26 with 25 losses and eight draws. By far the most appearances by a single state side is 29 by Bombay/Mumbai, who have won the trophy twelve times. Karnataka have played in eight matches, winning six; and Delhi in seven, winning two. Four teams have appeared twice: Railways (two wins); Vidarbha (two draws); Rajasthan (two defeats); and Saurashtra (two defeats). Another nine teams have appeared once.[3]

Season Venue Winner Runner-up Result[a] Notes Refs
1959–60 Delhi Bombay Rest of India match drawn The inaugural match was meant to be a one-off event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Ranji Trophy. Bombay won the drawn game by achieving first innings lead. Three Test batsmen — Polly Umrigar, Nari Contractor, and M. L. Jaisimha — scored centuries in the match. [7][8]
1960–61 no competition [3]
1961–62
1962–63 Brabourne Stadium Bombay Rest of India match drawn [9]
1963–64 Anantapur Bombay Rest of India 109 runs [10]
1964–65 no competition [3]
1965–66 Madras — — match drawn Although this match was drawn, no tie-break rule was in force.
Bombay and Rest of India shared the trophy.		 [3]
1966–67 Eden Gardens Rest of India Bombay 6 wickets
1967–68 Brabourne Stadium Bombay Rest of India match drawn
1968–69 Brabourne Stadium Rest of India Bombay 119 runs
1969–70 Poona Bombay Rest of India match drawn
1970–71 Eden Gardens Bombay Rest of India match drawn
1971–72 Brabourne Stadium Rest of India Bombay 119 runs
1972–73 Poona Bombay Rest of India 220 runs
1973–74 Bangalore Rest of India Bombay match drawn
1974–75 Ahmedabad Karnataka Rest of India match drawn
1975–76 Vidarbha Bombay Rest of India match drawn
1976–77 Feroz Shah Kotla Bombay Rest of India 10 wickets
1977–78 Wankhede Stadium Rest of India Bombay innings & 168
1978–79 Bangalore Rest of India Karnataka 9 wickets
1979–80 Jalandhar — — abandoned Heavy rain caused the match between ROI and Delhi to be abandoned without a ball bowled.
No toss was made.		 [3][11]
1980–81 Feroz Shah Kotla Delhi Rest of India match drawn
1981–82 Indore Bombay Rest of India match drawn
1982–83 Feroz Shah Kotla Rest of India Delhi 5 wickets
1983–84 Rajkot Karnataka Rest of India match drawn
1984–85 Feroz Shah Kotla Rest of India Bombay 4 wickets
1985–86 Vidarbha Bombay Rest of India match drawn
1986–87 Jodhpur Rest of India Delhi innings & 232
1987–88 Secunderabad Hyderabad Rest of India match drawn
1988–89 Chepauk Stadium Tamil Nadu Rest of India 3 wickets
1989–90 Wankhede Stadium Delhi Rest of India 309 runs
1990–91 Bangalore Rest of India Bengal match drawn
1991–92 Faridabad Haryana Rest of India 4 wickets
1992–93 Feroz Shah Kotla Rest of India Delhi innings & 122
1993–94 Ludhiana Rest of India Punjab 181 runs
1994–95 Wankhede Stadium Bombay Rest of India match drawn
1995–96 Wankhede Stadium Bombay Rest of India 9 wickets
1996–97 Bangalore Karnataka Rest of India 5 wickets
1997–98 Wankhede Stadium Mumbai Rest of India 54 runs
1998–99 Bangalore Karnataka Rest of India match drawn
1999–2000 Bangalore Rest of India Karnataka innings & 60
2000–01 Wankhede Stadium Rest of India Mumbai 10 wickets
2001–02 Vidarbha Rest of India Baroda 6 wickets
2002–03 Delhi Railways Rest of India 5 wickets
2003–04 Chepauk Stadium Rest of India Mumbai 3 wickets
2004–05 Mohali Rest of India Mumbai 290 runs
2005–06 Delhi Railways Rest of India 9 wickets
2006–07 Vidarbha Rest of India Uttar Pradesh 9 wickets
2007–08 Rajkot Rest of India Mumbai 9 wickets
2008–09 Vadodara Rest of India Delhi 187 runs
2009–10 Vidarbha Rest of India Mumbai match drawn
2010–11 Jaipur Rest of India Mumbai 361 runs
2011–12 Jaipur Rest of India Rajasthan 404 runs
2012–13 Bangalore Rest of India Rajasthan innings & 79 [12]
2013 Wankhede Stadium Rest of India Mumbai match drawn [13][14]
2013–14 Bangalore Karnataka Rest of India innings & 222
2014–15 Bangalore Karnataka Rest of India 246 runs [15]
2015–16 Brabourne Stadium Rest of India Mumbai 4 wickets [16]
2016–17 Brabourne Stadium Rest of India Gujarat 6 wickets [17]
2017–18 Vidarbha Vidarbha Rest of India match drawn
2018–19 Vidarbha Vidarbha Rest of India match drawn
2019–20 Rajkot Rest of India Saurashtra 8 wickets
2020–21 In both of these seasons, the fixture was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic [3]
2021–22
2022–23 Gwalior Rest of India Madhya Pradesh 238 runs
2023–24 Rajkot Rest of India Saurashtra 175 runs

Broadcasters

BCCI's official broadcasters Sports18 and JioCinema air the match live on TV and internet respectively. BCCI's website, bcci.tv, airs match highlights and scores.[18]

Notes

  1. ^ Usually, if the match is drawn, the trophy is awarded to the team which had first innings lead. There was an exception to this in 1965–66, when the trophy was shared.

References

  1. ^ "Irani Cup – Most Runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Irani Cup – Most Wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Irani Cup Winners 1959/60–. Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  4. ^ Irani Cup and full-fledged Indian teams. SportsKeeda. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  5. ^ Menon, Mohandas. "Irani Cup: history and perspective". Wisden India. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  6. ^ "Both Saurashtra and Madhya Pradesh to play Irani Cups in 2022–23". ESPNcricinfo. 6 September 2022.
  7. ^ Rest of India v Bombay: Irani Cup 1959/60. CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 December 2023. (subscription required)
  8. ^ Rest of India v Bombay: Irani Cup 1959/60. ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Bombay vs ROI, Irani Trophy 1962/63". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  10. ^ "ROI vs Bombay, Irani Trophy 1963/64". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  11. ^ Rest of India v Delhi: Irani Cup 1979/80. CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2023. (subscription required)
  12. ^ "ROI rout Rajasthan to win Irani Cup". Wisden India. 24 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Eighth consecutive title for ROI". ESPNcricinfo. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Jaffer ton in vain as Rest win Irani Cup". Wisden India. 10 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Irani Cup at Bengaluru, March 2015". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Irani Cup at Mumbai, March 2016". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Irani Cup at Mumbai, January 2017". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Irani Cup live streaming info". The Hindu. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.

External links