Ranji Trophy 1940–41

The 1940–41 Ranji Trophy marked the seventh season of India's premier first-class competition. Nineteen teams entered the fray to compete in a knockout format spread across four zones. Maharashtra emerged as champions, securing their second title by defeating Madras in the final.

Maharashtra dominated the scoring charts throughout the tournament. Ranga Sohoni led the way with 655 runs, while Chandu Sarwate claimed 24 wickets to top the bowling statistics. The path to the trophy proved challenging, as Maharashtra relied on first-innings leads to win their first four matches before finally securing an outright victory in the championship game.

The team displayed incredible batting strength during their campaign. In the semifinal against Northern India, Maharashtra set a Ranji record by posting 798 runs. The match required an extra day of play just to conclude the first innings. Their clash against Bombay earlier in the season was equally marathon, extending to five days with both sides piling on massive totals of 675 and 650 runs respectively.

Veteran D. B. Deodhar provided a memorable individual performance during the season. At 48 years and 306 days old, he scored 246 against Bombay. This remains the second-oldest double century by an Indian player in first-class history, surpassed only by C. K. Nayudu.