India, the country that is crazy about cricket, has a huge domestic cricket setup. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) conducts national competitions at various levels from senior tournaments to junior tournaments in different formats.
Among these tournaments, daily cricket tournaments like Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Cooch Behar Trophy, etc. are conducted throughout India. Besides them, there is a trophy that represents a single match between two teams.
Which Trophy? – The Irani Cup
Now, what exactly is the Irani Cup? What is the reason behind the match being played? Besides, what is the historical background?
How about a quick look at the Irani Cup history? Let’s!
Irani Cup – History
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in November 1934, introduced the Ranji trophy, the premier First-Class tournament of India. By the end of 1959-60 season, the premier tournament had already completed 25 years.
So, the BCCI decided to recognize the Ranji Trophy’s 25th anniversary with a one-off match at the end of the season between 2 teams.
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The teams were Bombay (now Mumbai)- the Ranji Trophy winners of the season- and the Rest of India. The Rest of India team consisted of players picked from different state Ranji teams and was led by Nari Contractor. Polly Umrigar was the captain of the Bombay Ranji team.
Bombay defeated Mysore in the final by an innings and 22 runs to bag the Ranji Trophy. After a 5-day break, they were ready to face the Rest of India team in the one-off Irani Cup match.
It was a First-Class match that lasted 3 days, and it ended in a draw. Since Bombay had the first innings lead, they were the winners of the Irani Cup.
Initially, the BCCI had put on a match as a special occasion to celebrate the 25 years of the Ranji Trophy’s existence. Hence, they decided not to schedule this fixture for the next two years.
But, in the season 1962-63, BCCI made it a regular fixture in the Indian domestic cricket calendar. The matches for the seasons of 1959-60, 1962-63, and 1963-64 were played at the end of the season.
However, from the seasons of 1965-66 to 2012-13, the Irani Cup was the opener of a new season. After 2013, the fixture has been shifted to the start and end of the seasons for different reasons.
But, how did the tournament get the name of Irani Cup?
To whom the Irani Cup is dedicated?
The illustrious Irani Cup takes its name from none other than Zal Irani—the person who was a longtime administrator of the BCCI.
He served as the BCCI’s treasurer in 2 separate terms—from the inception of the board in 1928 to 1945-46 and then from 1948-49 to 1961-62. Then in 1966, Irani became the BCCI’s president when he was in that position until 1969.
The first Irani Cup match took place in the 1959-60 season with Irani as BCCI’s treasurer. The trophy for that match was provided by Messrs Spencers Ltd, who owned a mall in Chennai.
Coincidentally, Irani was the Chairman and Managing Director of Messrs Spencers Ltd. at that time. Thus, it was very appropriate to name the trophy after Zal Irani for his devoted administrative efforts in Indian cricket.
Which teams participate in the Irani Cup?
The Irani Cup is a single First-Class match between two teams. One team – the Rest of India – has been present in every season, wherein the finest players from various state Ranji teams of that season are chosen.
The other team is the Ranji Trophy winner for that particular season, which involves a total of 38 teams. The Ranji Trophy champions and the Rest of India team compete for 5 days and the victor is awarded the Irani Cup.
Which team has been the most successful in the Irani Cup?
The Rest of India team has been the most successful, getting its name on the trophy more than 30 times. Mumbai’s Ranji team is the second-best with 15 Irani Cup victories.
