2002–03 Ranji Trophy Explained

2002–03 Ranji Trophy
Administrator:BCCI
Cricket Format:First-class cricket
Tournament Format:League and knockout
Champions:Mumbai
Count:35
Participants:27
Most Runs:Gautam Gambhir (Delhi) (833)[1]
Most Wickets:Lakshmipathy Balaji (Tamil Nadu) and Sunil Joshi (Karnataka) (47)[2]
Previous Year:2001–02
Previous Tournament:2001–02 Ranji Trophy
Next Year:2003–04
Next Tournament:2003–04 Ranji Trophy

The 2002–03 Ranji Trophy was the 69th season of the Ranji Trophy. Mumbai defeated Tamil Nadu by 141 runs in the final.

Format

The major change in the format of the tournament was the introduction of the Elite and Plate divisions. The 15 teams which qualified from the Zonal league in the previous season were placed in two groups in the upper Elite division. The top two teams from each group qualified for the semifinal and then played for the Ranji title. The remaining twelve teams played each other in two groups in the Plate division. They played the Plate semifinal and the final. The finalists qualified for the Elite division in the next year while the two lowest placed teams in the Elite division were demoted.

Karnataka and Kerala were promoted to the Elite division for 2003–04. This meant that five of the six South Zone teams played in the Elite division. Himachal Pradesh and Orissa were demoted to the Plate.

Scorecards and averages

Group Matches

Elite Group

Group A
Team[3]
Mumbai7 5 0 1 1 0 2 13
Delhi7 2 1 3 1 0 1 8
Andhra Pradesh7 2 2 1 2 0 5
Hyderabad7 1 2 3 1 0 5
Rajasthan7 2 2 0 2 1 4
Bengal7 1 2 1 2 1 3
Railways7 0 2 3 1 1 3
Himachal Pradesh7 0 2 1 3 1 1
Group B
Team[4]
Tamil Nadu6 2 0 3 1 0 1 8
Baroda6 2 0 2 2 0 1 7
Punjab6 2 0 3 1 0 7
Assam6 1 2 1 2 0 1 4
Rajasthan5 0 1 2 2 0 2
Uttar Pradesh6 0 2 1 2 1 1
Orissa5 0 2 0 2 1 0

Plate Group

Group A
Team[5]
Kerala5 4 0 1 0 0 2 11
Vidarbha5 2 1 1 1 0 1 6
Goa5 1 2 2 0 0 4
Saurashtra5 0 2 3 0 0 3
Services5 0 0 1 4 0 1
Tripura5 0 2 0 3 0 0
Group B
Team[6]
Karnataka5 3 0 1 1 0 2 9
Madhya Pradesh5 3 1 1 0 0 2 9
Haryana5 3 1 0 1 0 1 7
Maharashtra5 2 1 1 1 0 1 6
Jammu and Kashmi5 0 4 0 0 1 0
Bihar5 0 4 0 0 1 0

Knockout Matches

Elite Semifinal 2

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ranji Trophy, 2002/03 / Records / Most runs . subscription . 25 July 2015.
  2. Web site: Ranji Trophy, 2002/03 / Records / Most wickets . subscription . 25 July 2015.
  3. Web site: Ranji Trophy, 2002/03 Elite Group Points Table . ESPNcricinfo. 30 December 2021.
  4. Web site: Ranji Trophy, 2002/03 Elite Group Points Table . ESPNcricinfo. 30 December 2021.
  5. Web site: Ranji Trophy, 2002/03 Plate Group Points Table . ESPNcricinfo. 30 December 2021.
  6. Web site: Ranji Trophy, 2002/03 Plate Group Points Table . ESPNcricinfo. 30 December 2021.