Cricket Tournaments in India

Cricket is no less than a religion in India. People in this country have a fanatic association with this game. Every nook and corner of the country aspires to have a budding cricket star in it. Cricket is played in every lane, every playground and every possible corner of the country. Not only international but domestic cricket also fascinates people who are religiously associated with the game. The domestic cricket tournaments in India are a high quality affair with aspiring cricketers vying to grab the attention of national cricketers. All the competitions are conducted under the aegis of the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India. Here is a list of popular domestic cricket tournaments in the country.

Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy was launched as the "Cricket Championship of India" at a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in July 1934. The first Ranji Trophy fixtures took place in 1934-35 with Bombay walking away with the top honours.

Irany Trophy
The Irany Trophy was conceived during the 1959-60 season to commemorate the 25th year of the Ranji Trophy championship. The tournament was named after the late Z. R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India since its inception in 1928.

Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy, named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinghji, was launched by the BCCI to espouse more competition in the Indian cricket arena. The tournament was proposed to help the national selectors in assessing the form of the cricketers.

Deodhar Trophy
The Deodhar Trophy was started in the 1973-74 as a one-day equivalent of the Ranji Tournament. It is named after the grand old man of Indian Cricket - the Late Prof. D. B. Deodhar. It is played between the five Indian cricket zones- the North, South, East, West and Central Zone.

Challenger Trophy
The Challenger trophy began in India 1994-95. In 1998-99, it was renamed to as N. K. P. Salve Challenger Trophy in honor of N. K. P. Salve, the person who was instrumental in bringing the World Cup to the country in 1987. It is played between the Indian national team along with two other teams India A and India B consisting of the most promising Indian cricketers at domestic level.