The Ranji Trophy is considered the highest First-Class cricket tournament in India organized by the BCCI, and it is played in First-Class manner which is very much like Test cricket but at the domestic level while the latter one is among the ICC’s full members.
You might be wondering now if the same length of play days is there for Ranji and Test matches? Well, Actually, there are some Ranji matches that are played for fewer than 5 days.
So, for how many days is a Ranji Trophy match scheduled?
We will discuss the duration of a Ranji Trophy match in this article.
How Long is a Ranji Trophy Match?
In contrast to Test cricket, the number of days for playing varies in the Ranji Trophy match. The national championship consists of 2 parts the group stage and the knockout stage, so to speak.
Each group stage match lasts for 4 days, and the knockout matches have one more day, thus forming a total of 5 days duration.
That is why the Elite Group knockout matches, which consist of 4 quarterfinals, 2 semi-finals, and a grand final, take place over 5 days. The same applies to the Plate Group knockouts — 2 semi-finals and a final. The group matches of both divisions are 4 days long.
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How Many Overs are Bowled in a Ranji Trophy Match?
The nature of the match may be varied, but still the minimum number of overs required are the same as in a Test match format.
Every day other than the last day, the minimum number of 90 overs will have been completed at the time of stopping play for the day whether it is at the scheduled or rescheduled time.
The 90 overs will be divided into 3 sessions of at least 30 overs each. Thus, in one hour of play a minimum of 15 overs will be bowled which is the minimum requirement of the bowling side to keep up per hour.
On the last day, 75 overs are to be the minimum bowled before the last hour starts.
What are the Session Times for a Ranji Trophy Match?
The scheduled playing time is 6 hours a day for a Ranji Trophy match with an hour for the two intervals additionally. The playing time of 6 hours is divided into 3 sessions with 2 intervals lunch and tea.
The first session starts at 9.30am and lasts till 12pm. A 40-minute lunch break follows after the first session.
The second session starts at 12.40 pm after lunch and goes on till 2.40 pm which is when the 20-minute tea break starts. The last session is from 3 pm to 4.30 pm.
In case the minimum 90 overs have not been bowled before the scheduled time, the day’s play can be prolonged by 30 minutes.
