The Irani Cup, also known as the IDFC First Bank Irani Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual one-off First-Class cricket match organised by the BCCI and contested each season by the reigning Ranji Trophy champions and a multi-state RoI team composed of players from the other state teams.[3][4] 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.[5] 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.[3]
Countries | India |
---|---|
Administrator | BCCI |
Format | First-class cricket |
First edition | 1959–60 |
Latest edition | 2024–25 |
Next edition | 2025–26 |
Tournament format | One-off |
Number of teams | 2 |
Current champion | Mumbai (15th title) |
Most successful | Rest of India (30 titles) |
Qualification | Ranji Trophy |
Most runs | Wasim Jaffer (1,294)[1] |
Most wickets | Padmakar Shivalkar (51)[2] |
2024–25 |
History
editThe 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.[4] 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
editThe following table lists the results of all Irani Trophy matches.[5] The source shows that ROI have taken part in all 61 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.[5]
Season | Venue | Winner | Runner-up | Result | Notes | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1959–60 | Karnail Singh Stadium, 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 | [5] | ||||
1961–62 | ||||||
1962–63 | Brabourne Stadium | Bombay | Rest of India | match drawn | Bombay won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | [9] |
1963–64 | District College Stadium, Anantpur | Bombay | Rest of India | 109 runs | [10] | |
1964–65 | no competition | [5] | ||||
1965–66 | Nehru Stadium, Madras | — | — | match drawn | Although this match was drawn, the first innings lead tie-break rule could not be enforced since both first innings were not completed. Bombay and Rest of India shared the trophy.[a] |
[5] |
1966–67 | Eden Gardens | Rest of India | Bombay | 6 wickets | ||
1967–68 | Brabourne Stadium | Bombay | Rest of India | match drawn | Bombay won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1968–69 | Brabourne Stadium | Rest of India | Bombay | 119 runs | ||
1969–70 | Poona Club Ground, Poona | Bombay | Rest of India | match drawn | Bombay won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1970–71 | Eden Gardens | Bombay | Rest of India | match drawn | Bombay won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
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 | Rest of India won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1974–75 | Ahmedabad | Karnataka | Rest of India | match drawn | Karnataka won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1975–76 | Vidarbha | Bombay | Rest of India | match drawn | Bombay won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1976–77 | Feroz Shah Kotla | Bombay | Rest of India | 10 wickets | ||
1977–78 | Wankhede Stadium | Rest of India | Bombay | innings and 168 runs | ||
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 and the Irani Cup was shared. |
[5][11] |
1980–81 | Feroz Shah Kotla | Delhi | Rest of India | match drawn | Delhi won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1981–82 | Indore | Bombay | Rest of India | match drawn | Bombay won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1982–83 | Feroz Shah Kotla | Rest of India | Delhi | 5 wickets | ||
1983–84 | Rajkot | Karnataka | Rest of India | match drawn | Karnataka won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1984–85 | Feroz Shah Kotla | Rest of India | Bombay | 4 wickets | ||
1985–86 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground | Bombay | Rest of India | match drawn | Bombay won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1986–87 | Jodhpur | Rest of India | Delhi | innings and 232 runs | ||
1987–88 | Secunderabad | Hyderabad | Rest of India | match drawn | Hyderabad won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
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 | Rest of India won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1991–92 | Faridabad | Haryana | Rest of India | 4 wickets | ||
1992–93 | Feroz Shah Kotla | Rest of India | Delhi | innings and 122 runs | ||
1993–94 | Ludhiana | Rest of India | Punjab | 181 runs | ||
1994–95 | Wankhede Stadium | Bombay | Rest of India | match drawn | Bombay won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
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 | Karnataka won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
1999–2000 | Bangalore | Rest of India | Karnataka | innings and 60 runs | ||
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 | Rest of India won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
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 and 79 runs | [12] | |
2013 | Wankhede Stadium | Rest of India | Mumbai | match drawn | Rest of India won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | [13][14] |
2013–14 | Bangalore | Karnataka | Rest of India | innings and 222 runs | ||
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 Cricket Association Stadium | Vidarbha | Rest of India | match drawn | Vidarbha won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
2018–19 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium | Vidarbha | Rest of India | match drawn | Vidarbha won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. | |
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 | [5] | ||||
2021–22 | ||||||
2022–23 | Gwalior | Rest of India | Madhya Pradesh | 238 runs | ||
2023–24 | Rajkot | Rest of India | Saurashtra | 175 runs | ||
2024–25 | Lucknow | Mumbai | Rest of India | match drawn | Mumbai won the Irani Cup through their first innings lead. |
Statistics
editTeam statistics
editAppearances | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Total | Champions | Runners-up | Shared/No Result |
Rest of India | 62 | 30 | 30 | 2 |
Mumbai | 30 | 15 | 14 | 1 |
Karnataka | 8 | 6 | 2 | - |
Delhi | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Railways | 2 | 2 | 0 | - |
Rajasthan | 2 | 0 | 2 | - |
Vidarbha | 2 | 2 | 0 | - |
Saurashtra | 2 | 0 | 2 | - |
Hyderabad | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
Tamil Nadu | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
Haryana | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
Bengal | 1 | 0 | 1 | - |
Punjab | 1 | 0 | 1 | - |
Baroda | 1 | 0 | 1 | - |
Uttar Pradesh | 1 | 0 | 1 | - |
Gujarat | 1 | 0 | 1 | - |
Madhya Pradesh | 1 | 0 | 1 | - |
Broadcasters
editBCCI'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]
Sponsorship
editPeriod | Sponsor | Brand |
---|---|---|
2007–2010 | World Sport Group[19] | |
2010–2013 | Bharti Airtel | Airtel Irani Cup[20][21] |
2013–2014 | Star India Pvt. Ltd. | Star Irani Cup[22][23] |
2014–2015 | Micromax Informatics | Micromax Irani Cup[22] |
2015–2022 | Paytm | Paytm Irani Cup[24][25] |
2022–2023 | Mastercard | Mastercard Irani Cup[26] |
2023–present | IDFC First Bank | IDFC First Irani Cup[27][28] |
Notes
edit- ^ 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 because both first innings could not be completed.
References
edit- ^ "Irani Cup – Most Runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Irani Cup – Most Wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ a b Irani Cup and full-fledged Indian teams. SportsKeeda. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ a b Menon, Mohandas. "Irani Cup: history and perspective". Wisden India. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Irani Cup Winners 1959/60–. Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Both Saurashtra and Madhya Pradesh to play Irani Cups in 2022–23". ESPNcricinfo. 6 September 2022.
- ^ Rest of India v Bombay: Irani Cup 1959/60. CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 December 2023. (subscription required)
- ^ Rest of India v Bombay: Irani Cup 1959/60. ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Bombay vs ROI, Irani Trophy 1962/63". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "ROI vs Bombay, Irani Trophy 1963/64". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ Rest of India v Delhi: Irani Cup 1979/80. CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2023. (subscription required)
- ^ "ROI rout Rajasthan to win Irani Cup". Wisden India. 24 September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Eighth consecutive title for ROI". ESPNcricinfo. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Irani Cup at Bengaluru, March 2015". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Irani Cup at Mumbai, March 2016". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Irani Cup at Mumbai, January 2017". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Irani Cup live streaming info". The Hindu. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ "Airtel wins India corporate sponsorship rights". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Airtel will not renew BCCI home series contract". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Airtel wins Team India home series sponsorship rights". Hindustan Times. 20 August 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ a b Writer, Staff (28 August 2014). "Micromax wins BCCI sponsorship rights for 2014-15 matches". mint. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Star India gets series-title rights". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Paytm awarded title sponsorship rights for BCCI International and Domestic seasons 2019-23". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ www.ETBrandEquity.com. "Mastercard replaces Paytm as title sponsor for all BCCI matches: Report - ET BrandEquity". ETBrandEquity.com. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Mastercard acquires title sponsorship rights for all BCCI international and domestic home matches". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "BCCI announces new title sponsor for international and domestic matches at home". India Today. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "IDFC First acquires title sponsorship rights for all BCCI international and domestic home matches". www.bcci.tv. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
External links
edit- A brief history of the Irani Trophy. Rediff, India.
- Official website. BCCI.
- Irani Trophy. SPORT195.
- Index of all Irani Trophy matches. CricketArchive.