The 2023–24 Ranji Trophy is the 89th season of the Ranji Trophy, the premier first-class cricket tournament in India. It took place from 5 January to 14 March 2024. Saurashtra were the defending champions, winning their second Ranji Trophy in previous seasons.
Format
The teams were divided into two categories named as Elite category having 32 teams split into four groups, with Plate category having 6 teams.The Elite group teams played each other once, with the top two teams from each group qualified for the quarter-finals. In the Plate Group also teams played each other once, but the top four teams qualified for the plate group knockouts, with the bottom two teams playing for the fifth and sixth positions, and another playoff for the third and fourth positions took place.The two Plate finalists will be promoted to the Elite group for the next season, 2024–25, while the bottom two teams of all the four Elite groups combined - factoring in both points and the quotient will be relegated to Plate group.
Plate semi-finals
Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat.
Mizoram won the toss and elected to bat.
Plate final
Meghalaya won the toss and elected to bat. , Rishab Baslas (Hyderabad) made his first-class debut.
Knockout stage
Tamil Nadu made the knockouts for the first time in six seasons after a win over Punjab in their final match of the group stage. Karnataka's drawn attempt against Chandigarh meant Tamil Nadu occupied the top spot in Group C. Vidarbha's win over Haryana took them to the top of their group, followed by defending champions Saurashtra. Group D was topped by Madhya Pradesh, with Baroda finishing second. Mumbai and Andhra took the first two spots of Group B.
Quarter-finals
Tamil Nadu were the first team to make the semi-final, their first since the 2016–17 edition, after their win over Saurashtra. They secured a 155-run first innings lead, with only Cheteshwar Pujara of Saurashtra offering any resistance to their bowling. Captain R. Sai Kishore returned match figures of 9/93 and helped his side secure the victory by an innings and 33 runs. Madhya Pradesh denied Andhra a maiden semi-final berth after defeating them in the fourth quarter-final. Requiring 170 runs to win after bundling Madhya Pradesh out for 107 in their second innings, Andhra were on course at 112 for 4 before captain and top-scorer Hanuma Vihari was dismissed by Anubhav Agarwal. Ashwin Hebbar (22) added 32 runs for the ninth wicket and was the last batsman dismissed, by Kulwant Khejroliya, who secured his team the win by a 4-run margin. Wicket-keeper Himanshu Mantri was a standout performer for the winners, with his 49 and 43; however, the man of the match was awarded to Agarwal for his match haul of 9/85. Madhya Pradesh made the semi-final for the third time in a row.
In the remaining quarter-final matches both of which went to final day of play, Vidarbha defeated Karnataka and Mumbai drew against Baroda, but progressed to the semi-final on first-innings lead. Karnataka looked steady in their chase of a daunting 371 and entered day five at 103 for one, but four-wicket hauls by Harsh Dubey and Aditya Sarwate meant they fell 127 runs short. Mumbai gained a 36-run lead in the first innings after Baroda were bowled out for 348 in reply to the hosts' 384. In their second innings, their final pair of Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande put together a 232-run partnership, with both making centuries, the second such instance in first-class cricket. The match was called off at tea with Baroda reaching 121 for three in an improbable chase of 606; Mumbai progressed to the semi-final based on first innings lead.
Karnataka won the toss and elected to field. , Dheeraj Gowda (Karnataka) made his first-class debut.
Mumbai won the toss and elected to bat. , Raj Limbani (Baroda) made his first-class debut. , Musheer Khan (Mumbai) scored his maiden century and also double century in first-class cricket. , Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande (Mumbai) both scored their maiden century in first-class cricket. Deshpande (123) broke Shute Banerjee's record for the highest individual score by an Indian number 11 batter.
Saurashtra won the toss and elected to bat.
Madhya Pradesh won the toss and elected to bat. , Anubhav Agarwal (Madhya Pradesh) registered his career-best figures in first-class cricket (6/52).
Semi-finals
Vidarbha won the toss and elected to bat. , Sagar Solanki (Madhya Pradesh) made his first-class debut.
Tamil Nadu won the toss and elected to bat. , Shardul Thakur (Mumbai) scored his maiden century in first-class cricket.
Final
Vidarbha won the toss and elected to field. , Harsh Dubey (Vidarbha) took his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
