2018–19 Ranji Trophy Group A Explained

The 2018–19 Ranji Trophy was the 85th season of the Ranji Trophy, the first-class cricket tournament that took place in India. It was contested by 37 teams, divided into four groups, with nine teams in Group A.^[1] The group stage ran from 1 November 2018 to 10 January 2019.^[1] The top five teams across Group A and Group B progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition.^[2]

In the opening round of fixtures, in the match between Mumbai and Railways in Delhi, players wore masks because of the poor air quality.^{[3] [4]} In the third round match between Vidarbha and Baroda, Vidarbha's Wasim Jaffer became the first batsman to score 11,000 runs in the Ranji Trophy.^[5] The ninth round match between Vidarbha and Saurashtra was Jaffer's 146th Ranji match. He broke Devendra Bundela's record of playing in the most matches in the Ranji Trophy.^[6] In the fourth round match between Gujarat and Mumbai, Gujarat beat Mumbai by nine wickets, to become the first side to have four outright victories against them.^[7]

Ahead of the fifth round of fixtures, Saurashtra's captain Jaydev Shah announced that he would retire from all cricket following the team's match against Karnataka.^[8] He set the record for the most matches as captain in the Ranji Trophy.^[6]

Vidarbha became the first team to qualify from Group A, after Baroda beat Karnataka by two wickets in their final group-stage match.^[9] Despite the loss, Karnataka also qualified from Group A.^[10] Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra across Group A and B were relegated to Group C,^{[11] [12]} On the final day of the group stage, Saurashtra and Gujarat also qualified from Group A for the quarter-finals.^[13]

Fixtures

Round 1

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Round 2

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Round 3

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Round 4

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Round 5

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Round 6

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Round 7

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Round 8

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Round 9

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Notes and References

1. News: Nine new teams in Ranji Trophy 2018–19 . ESPNcricinfo . 18 July 2018.
2. News: Logistical nightmare on cards as BCCI announces 37-team Ranji Trophy for 2018-19 season . Indian Express . 18 July 2018.
3. Web site: Monga: Why are we playing cricket in the Delhi smog? . ESPNcricinfo . 1 November 2018.
4. Web site: Ranji Trophy: Father assigned to plot son's dismissal; anti-pollution masks make first appearance . The Times of India . 1 November 2018.
5. Web site: Wasim Jaffer becomes first batsman to reach 11,000 runs in Ranji Trophy . The Indian Express . 21 November 2018.
6. Web site: New records by new teams, and the misfortunes of Mumbai and Delhi . ESPNcricinfo . 10 January 2019 . 11 January 2019.
7. Web site: Ranji Takeaways: Gujarat Register Historic Win Over Mumbai; Bengal Beat Tamil Nadu in a Thriller . Network18 Media and Investments Ltd . 1 December 2018.
8. Web site: Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah to retire from all cricket . ESPNcricinfo . 5 December 2018.
9. Web site: Vidarbha through; Baroda alive as Karnataka lose in two days . ESPNcricinfo . 8 January 2019.
10. Web site: Madhya Pradesh lose 6 for 0, knocked out . ESPNcricinfo . 9 January 2019.
11. Web site: Ranji highlights: Karnataka, Uttarakhand qualify, Chhattisgarh, Goa relegated . CricBuzz . 9 January 2019.
12. Web site: Ranji highlights: Vidarbha qualify, Maharashtra relegated . CricBuzz . 15 January 2019.
13. Web site: Ranji Takeaways: Kerala, Gujarat Sneak Through to Complete Quarterfinal Line-up . Network18 Media and Investments Ltd . 10 January 2019.