Why a cricket tournament dating back to 1909 is still the preferred event for state teams to prepare for Ranji Trophy

Indian Express

a day ago

Mithun Manhas, a former Delhi captain and veteran of 137 first-class matches now in charge of the core group running Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, says his decision to send the state team to the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament was a no-brainer.
'Ahead of the Ranji Trophy, where else will the players get adequate preparation? he asks.
Former India all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla, now the Bengal coach, believes the tournament helps players get in optimum condition when the premier first-class competition begins.
'By the time the Ranji Trophy starts, I want my players to be up and running. And for me, a tournament like Buchi Babu is exactly what we wanted as a team,' he says.
While the Ranji Trophy is still a couple of months away, the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament beginning on Monday is, in many ways, the ideal starter most state units seek. With the Duleep Trophy beginning towards the end of August and running till September 11, teams will lose their key players to the zonal tournament. And the Buchi Babu event is seen as an ideal way to get into the red-ball groove after the off-season break.
'Psychologically, you need to get ready for red-ball (cricket) or you will be found wanting,' Manhas tells The Indian Express. Having made the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy last season and missing out on a last-four spot by a one-run margin, Manhas has seen what participation in the Buchi Babu Tournament had done to J&K's players last season. With the climate back home not conducive to cricket in the lead-up to the domestic season, playing on red-soil pitches had given the players the exposure needed. It is this experience that helped them beat Mumbai outright in their own den in the Ranji league stages last season.
'We have been getting enough practice but you need to give the players match-time. You can't take anything for granted when it comes to red-ball cricket. At Buchi Babu, we will face quality teams and play in totally different conditions. which is what Ranji Trophy is all about. If we have to build on from where we left last season, our preparation has to be good,' Manhas says.
He reckons there are not enough such red-ball tournaments for players to prepare for the domestic season. 'I'm thankful to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) for helping us grow. They have found ways to accommodate us and now, we at Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) are exploring the possibility of having a similar tournament in the next two or three years. When we get used to conditions in Chennai, even TNCA would prefer giving their players an opportunity to play on green-tops and seaming pitches,' Manhas says.
In 2017, when the TNCA removed the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament from its calendar to accommodate the Tamil Nadu Premier League, it seemed the end of the road for one of the oldest tournaments in India, dating back to 1909. For five years, including two during Covid, there was no sign of the tournament coming back to life.
But fast forward to 2025, and the tournament is again an event every state unit wants a piece of.
'We can't hold a parallel Ranji Trophy,' TNCA secretary RI Palani said while announcing the launch of the tournament which will see 16 teams in fray. Having re-started the tournament with 12 teams in 2023 after Covid brought red-ball cricket to a standstill for two successive seasons, in 2024 it had similar playing conditions to the Ranji Trophy.
This season, owing to requests from various state units, TNCA has had to accommodate 16 sides. 'Last year, when we had 12 teams, we still had many others showing interest to participate. It was tough to say no to them because we were hosting the tournament in districts (Coimbatore, Salem, Dindigul and Tirunelveli) and didn't have grounds to accommodate everyone. This year too, we have had so many requests that to accommodate one more team, we dropped the idea of fielding a third team from TNCA. With 16 teams in fray, we had to choose Chennai as the host venue even though the MA Chidambaram Stadium is unavailable,' Palani said at the launch event.
The reason as many as 14 teams from all over India want to feature in the tournament is obvious. While monetarily the event doesn't offer huge sums to take home (Rs 3 lakh to the winners and Rs 2 lakh for the runners-up), it offers something priceless – good preparation and adequate red-ball game time. With the BCCI bringing forward the Ranji Trophy, the common concern among most state teams is that they haven't had enough preparatory events.
In the past, apart from Buchi Babu, there were also the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup in Hyderabad, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Invitational Tournament. While the KSCA continues to host the event, it has become a much smaller tournament. In the north, there is the JP Atray tournament held in Chandigarh and Mohali, but it's a 50-over tournament. With the Duleep Trophy set to follow Buchi Babu and the Ranji Trophy beginning soon after, this event is the last for teams to play as a group and test combinations.
Bengal, which had been a regular participant in the past, had declined the invite last season, instead choosing to have a preparatory camp. One of the consistent teams in the last few seasons, they missed out on the knockouts and with Kolkata witnessing heavy rain in recent months, Bengal players needed game time.
'We have been training mostly indoors and on cement pitches with tennis and plastic balls. But that is definitely not enough. It is just one part of preparation. Playing Ranji Trophy will test you in different ways and if we are not prepared, we will find it challenging on the field. We want to expose our players to the pitches in Chennai and get some much-needed practice,' Shukla says.
Himachal Pradesh, who have made huge strides in white-ball cricket, were also amongst the teams that expressed their interest to play the Buchi Babu Tournament this year. With the state witnessing heavy rain, they haven't been able to train together adequately. For coach Anul Pal Das, the reason is simple.
'Let's keep aside match preparation and combinations that we want to try before the Ranji Trophy. I want my players to get acclimated to the humid climate. When Ranji happens, we will play in a totally different climate to what we are experiencing here. Playing on red soil means spinners will also be in play and our batsmen will also be tested,' Das says.
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The tournament was held for the first time in 1909-10, a year after Buchi Babu Naidu – called the father of Madras cricket – passed away, is one of the oldest in the country. Initially featuring local teams, from the 1960s, several Indian stars have participated. Legend has it that when Sunil Gavaskar came after his maiden tour to the West Indies, he was mobbed at one of the venues.
Being an invitational event, teams need not pay any participating fee. According to those in the know, teams spend around Rs 25 lakh for accommodation, air travel and local transportation. The TNCA spends about Rs 2 crore for conducting the tournament.
Teams in the 2025 edition: 16
TNCA President's XI, Himachal, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Indian Railways, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Baroda, TNCA XI, Mumbai, Haryana, Bengal, Hyderabad, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand.