Ranji Trophy 2016-17 to begin from October 6

The 2016-17 edition of the Ranji Trophy will begin from October 6, 2016. The final of the tournament will be played between January 7-11. All the matches in this edition will be played in neutral venue. The idea of neutral venues was proposed as qualities of many of the pitches in the earlier edition was of poor standards.  Chhattisgarh are the new entrants. They have been pitted in Group C, along with Hyderabad, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and others. They will make their debut against Tripura at Ranchi. Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif will lead Chhattisgarh in this tournament. Unlike the earlier edition, the 50-over tournament Vijay Hazare trophy and the newly proposed inter-zonal T20 tournament in place of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be played after Ranji Trophy is over. READ: Ranji Trophy 2016-17: CAB names probables

Mumbai won their 41st Ranji Trophy title in the previous season, beating Saurashtra in the final at Pune. Saurashtra, as a result of their good show, have been promoted to Group B from Group C. saurashtra are placed alongside Karnataka, Assam and Delhi. Haryana and Andhra are the two relegated sides. They will be placed in Group C along with Himachal Pradesh and Kerala, to name a few, according to espncricinfo.com. READ: Joshi to coach Assam for next two Ranji Trophy seasons

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The groups for Ranji Trophy 2016-17 are as follows:

There will be a total of 40 venues, where all the matches will be played. Raipur and Belgaum are the two new venues for this edition. M Chinnaswamy Stadiium In Bangalore will see no matches played in the stadium as the drainage facilities in the stadium are being upgraded.  There is a delay in the commencement of the tournament this time around as MV Sridhar, BCCI’s General Manager of cricket operations was away in the USA for India’s two-match T20I series against West Indies.