How Vidarbha changed teams’ approach in Ranji

The Ranji Trophy kicks off on Wednesday at multiple venues with defending champions Vidarbha facing an easy clash against Nagaland.

- Sanjjeev K Samyal

Sourav Ganguly speaks to Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran during a training session.

(PTI)

Among the tougher opening round games, Saurashtra play Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh are pitted against Punjab, Mumbai face Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu host Jharkhand and Kerala meet Maharashtra. But any pre-tournament favourites? About a decade ago, Mumbai, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi were straightforward choices. Not any longer.

It is the impact Vidarbha have had on the premier first-class tournament. From the time they won the first time in 2017-18, from among the fancied teams, only Mumbai have won it. The Ranji Trophy has seen some new winners since in Saurashtra and Madhya Pradesh, while Vidarbha have won thrice, including last season.

“Now you can't say that 90 per cent Mumbai will win. Now, every team has a 50-50 chance. It can happen that Assam will win it. The standard is almost the same, or the difference could be marginal,” said domestic coaching stalwart Chandrakant Pandit, who will guide Madhya Pradesh again, as he assessed the field.