Cricket was brought to India in the early 1700s, with the first documented instance of cricket being played in 1721. At the time of its introduction, it was used as a medium for Indians to integrate into British cultural norms.[6] By serving as a bridge between the two groups, it made assimilating much easier. During its early years in India, the sport was played by Indian elites to gain favour with the British. This not only increased the sport’s value due to its association with the elite but also helped it gain popularity across the country.[7] Although it began as a foreign sport, the sport ultimately became associated with India and began to play a role in India's identity. In the late 1800s, cricket's image began to move away from being an exclusively upper class sport as players from lower castes and underprivileged communities began to play and make their mark.[8]
Ranjitsinhji was regarded as one of the best batsmen of his time.
The first ever match of first-class cricket played in India was in 1864 between Calcutta and Madras. Not many records exist from the match. The entire history of cricket in India and the sub-continent as a whole is based on the existence and development of the British Raj via the East India Company.
The major and defining event in the history of Indian cricket during this period was the Partition of India following full independence from the British Raj in 1947.
An early casualty of change was the Bombay Quadrangular tournament, which had been a focal point of Indian cricket for over 50 years. The new India had no place for teams based on ethnic origin. As a result, the Ranji Trophy came into its own as the national championship. The last Bombay Pentangular, as it had become, was won by the Hindus in 1945–46.
India also recorded its first Test victory in 1952, beating England by an innings in Madras.[10]
One team totally dominated Indian cricket in the 1960s. As part of 14 consecutive victories in the Ranji Trophy from 1958–59 to 1972–73, Bombay won the title in all ten seasons of the period under review. Among its players were Farokh Engineer, Dilip Sardesai, Bapu Nadkarni, Ramakant Desai, Baloo Gupte, Ashok Mankad and Ajit Wadekar. In the 1961–1962 season, the Duleep Trophy was inaugurated as a zonal competition. It was named after Ranji's nephew, Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji (1905–59). With Bombay in its catchment, it is not surprising that the West Zone won six of the first nine titles.
Bombay continued to dominate Indian domestic cricket, with only Karnataka, Delhi, and a few other teams able to mount any kind of challenge during this period.
India enjoyed two international highlights. In 1971, they won a Test series in England for the first time ever, surprisingly defeating Ray Illingworth's Ashes winners. In 1983, again in England, India were surprise winners of the 1983 Cricket World Cup under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev was also most known for the Viv Richards Catch, and him scoring 175 not out, being the first Indian to score an ODI Century, and also broke the World Record of Glenn Turner's 171. 183 is the lowest score ever defended in a world cup final.
During the 1970s, the Indian cricket team began to see success overseas beating New Zealand, and holding Australia, South Africa and England to a draw. The backbone of the team was the Indian spin quartet – Bishen Bedi, E. A. S. Prasanna, B. S. Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, giving rise to what would later be called the Golden Era of Indian cricket history. This decade also saw the emergence of two of India's best ever batsmen, Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath responsible for the back-to-back series wins in 1971 in the West Indies and in England, under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar.
The Indian women's team made its test debut in 1976, becoming the third nation to do so. It made its ODI debut on 1 January 1978.
In the late 1980s, continuous live coverage of overseas matches was broadcast by British networks. This was a major factor in shaping what was now becoming the modern game of cricket. Modern technology and the establishment of specialized television networks set a global interest for the sport. ESPN and Star Sports added cricket to part of the 24 hours of continuous live coverage that they were needed to produce. Global popularity increased among the Eastern world. Soon after a domestic league (the Indian Premier League) was established.
During the 1980s, India developed a more attack-focused batting line-up with talented batsmen such as Mohammad Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar and Ravi Shastri prominent during this decade. Despite India's victory in the Cricket World Cup in 1983, the team performed poorly in the Test arena, including 28 consecutive Test matches without a victory. However, India won the Asia Cup in 1984 and won the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985. The 1987 Cricket World Cup was held in India and Pakistan – the first time it was played outside England.
From the 1993–94 season, the Duleep Trophy was converted from a knockout competition to a league format.
Several team names and spellings were altered during the 1990s when traditional Indian names were introduced to replace those that were associated with the British Raj. Most notably, Bombay became Mumbai and the famous venue of Madras became Chennai.
Despite its arrival in the 1700s, cricket's popularity soared gradually as it spread across regions. It became a unifying factor in the country, transcending social and cultural barriers.[11] The sport was initially popular amongst the elite, but it began to transcend as people from lower castes would come together to play, watch, and engage with the sport. Post-independence, cricket continued to flourish and became an integral part of the nation's fabric, particularly in their rivalries, the most prevalent one being India v Pakistan. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) emerged as a pivotal force, steering the sport toward globalization. In addition, technology played a crucial role as it increased accessibility by bringing live cricket matches into homes which amplified its reach and its impact.[12]
The pivotal moment in cricket's globalization in India came with success on the international stage. Victories in major tournaments aided in globalization, but the tipping points occurred in the iconic 1983 Cricket World Cup win which not only captivated the nation but the world.[13] Even the most optimistic of fans believed the furthest India could go was the semi-finals, so when India reached the finals, audiences were captivated. This match was led by now legend, Kapil Dev in addition to Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar who were highly revered throughout India which aided in the increased popularity and globalization of cricket. Because these legends were not upper class elites, they emerged as cultural icons who represented the dreams and aspirations of millions in addition to the increased sense of pride they evoked.[14] Their success on the global stage in a post-colonial India resonated deeply with India as it evoked pride and honor which many had not felt in a long time.[14]
In addition to the increased sense of nationalism which aided in its globalization, cricket mirrored the changing socio-political landscape of India. By shifting a once elite sport into something accessible to the masses, the sport echoed societal transformations with the rise of the middle class.[15] Cricket became a vessel for social mobility and offered opportunities and hope to people across India regardless of their religion, caste, or social standing.
With the increased popularity of the sport in India, especially in the 1980s, international satellite television networks latched onto cricket because of its global audience and the newly emerged market of viewers in India.[16] In order to secure their place, these networks worked out broadcasting deals with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which gave the BCCI an immense amount of wealth which further aided in the globalization of cricket.
In addition to its spread through television, its globalization has a direct link to India's increase in consumerism. As the sport became increasingly popular in India in the 80's into the 90s, India experienced a rapid expansion of both televised and billboard advertising.[12] As a result, it became common for various teams and individual cricket players to promote various consumer goods which aided in its globalization.
Sachin Tendulkar is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He is known as the 'God of Cricket'.
Sachin Tendulkar was one of the key members during 1989–2013 for Team India in multiple formats.
Since 2000, the Indian team underwent major improvements with the appointment of John Wright, India's first ever foreign coach. This appointment met success internationally as India maintained their unbeaten home record against Australia in Test series after defeating them in 2001 and won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007. India was also the first sub-continental team to win at the WACA in January 2008 against Australia.
India's victory against the Australians in 2001 marked the beginning of a dream era for the team under the captainship of Sourav Ganguly, winning Test matches in Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies and England. India also shared a joint victory with Sri Lanka in the ICC Champions Trophy and went on to the finals in the 2003 Cricket World Cup only to be beaten by Australia.
In September 2007, India won the first ever Twenty20 World Cup held in South Africa, beating their arch-rivals Pakistan by 5 runs in a thrilling final.[17]
India won the Cricket World Cup in 2011 under the captainship of Mahendra Singh Dhoni,[10] the first time since 1983 (28 years) – they beat Sri Lanka in the final held in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.[18]
India played its 500th Test match against New Zealand led by Kane Williamson at Kanpur from 22 to 26 September 2016.[19] India won this match by 197 runs. This test was played under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of cricket in India.[20] Its headquarters is situated at the Cricket Centre in Churchgate, Mumbai.[21] The BCCI is the wealthiest governing body of cricket in the world.[22][23][24] The BCCI is involved in talent development through grassroots programs and cricket academies. Its initiatives include infrastructure development, coaching, and player welfare programs designed to maintain and enhance India's competitive performance internationally.
The BCCI was established on 1 December 1928 in Madras (currently Chennai) under Act XXI of 1860 of Madras and was subsequently reregistered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975.[25] It is a consortium of state cricket associations that select their own representatives who elect the BCCI president. It joined the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1926 which later became the International Cricket Council.The BCCI is an autonomous, private organization that does not fall under the purview of the National Sports Federation of India of Government of India and does not receive any grants from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The BCCI is influential in international cricket.[26][27][28] The International Cricket Council shares the largest part of its revenue with the BCCI. IPL run by BCCI is one of the wealthiest sports leagues in the world.[29]
The Indian senior national team had several successes and is considered No. 1 team in Asia and one of the best team in the world cricket. The national team's highest achievement is winning Cricket World Cups.
Tendulkar, upon reaching his 38th Test century against Australia in the 2nd Test at the SCG in 2008, where he finished not out on 154
More information Tournament, Appearance in finals ...
In 2021, the BCCI announced that Ramesh Powar would become the Head Coach of the Indian Women's Cricket Team.[35][36] In 2022, Indian Women script history by winning 1st series on England soil in 23 years.[37]
More information Tournament, Appearance in finals ...
Membership of the Board of Control for Cricket in India is made up of Full Members and Associate Members.[38][39]
Full Members
The majority of full members are state cricket associations. Each state is permitted one representative, except for Gujarat and Maharashtra, which have three. There are additional representatives from Indian Railways, Services and Universities. Changes recommended by the Lodha Committee included restricting full membership to state associations and limiting states to one full member, with the others becoming associate members,[40] but these have not been fully adopted by the BCCI, with existing members retaining full membership except for Cricket Club of India (Mumbai) and National Cricket Club (Kolkata).[41]
Abhinav Mukund was one of the two players in the draft's Category A in 2020 TNPL
It is not a state, but there is separate association for administrating cricket in Saurashtra of Gujarat.
It is not a state, but there is separate association for administrating cricket in Vadodara of Gujarat.
It is not a state, but there is separate association for administrating cricket in Vidarbha of Maharashtra.
Remove ads
Organisation of cricket in modern India
Summarize
Perspective
International cricket
International cricket in India generally does not follow a fixed pattern. For example, the English schedule under which the nation tours other countries during the winter and plays at home during the summer. Generally, there has recently been a tendency to play more one-day matches than Test matches. Cricket in India is managed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest cricket board in the cricket world.[45]
India have been participating in international cricket since 1926 and competed in international tournament since the first ever the 1975 Cricket World Cup. They have competed in numerous tournaments over the years including the ACC tournaments. The Indian national cricket team has also provided some of the greatest players to the world, the biggest example of which is Sachin Tendulkar. Indian cricket has a rich history. The Indian men's national team is currently ranked No. 1 in Tests, No. 1 in ODIs and at 1st position in T20Is. India won two World Championship cups in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev and recently won in the year 2011 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, which was won after a span of 28 years. They also won the World Championship of Cricket in 1985.
Test- C. K. Nayudu, India's first Test cricket captain India was invited to the International Cricket Council in 1926, and made their debut as a Test playing nation in England in 1932, led by CK Nayudu, who was considered the best Indian batsman at the time.[46] The one-off Test match between the two sides was played at Lord's in London. The team was not strong in their batting[47] at this point and went on to lose by 158 runs.[48] India hosted its first men's Test cricket series in 1933. England was the visiting team that played two Tests in Bombay (now Mumbai) and Calcutta (now Kolkata). The visitors won the series 2–0. The Indian team continued to improve throughout the 1930s and 1940s but did not achieve an international victory during this period. In the early 1940s, India did not play any men's Test cricket due to World War II. The team's first series as an independent country was in late 1947 against Don Bradman's Australian cricket team in England in 1948 (a name given to the Australia national cricket team of that time). It was also the first Test series India played which was not against England. Australia men's cricket team won the five-match series 4–0, with Bradman tormenting the Indian bowling in his final Australian summer.[49]
One Day International- Dev with the Indian President Zail Singh after the team's return to India post winning the World Cup. They are holding the Cricket World Cup Trophy. The advent of men's One Day International (ODI) cricket in 1971 created a new dimension in the cricket world. However, India was not considered strong in ODIs at this point and batsmen such as the captain Gavaskar were known for their defensive approach to batting. India began as a weak team in ODIs and did not qualify for the second round in the first two editions of the Cricket World Cup.[50] Gavaskar infamously blocked his way to 36 not out off 174 balls against England in the first World Cup in 1975; India scored just 132 for 3 and lost by 202 runs.[51] In contrast, India fielded a strong team in Test matches and was particularly strong at home, where their combination of stylish batsmen and beguiling spinners were at their best. India set a then Test record in the third Test against the West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 1976, when they chased 403 to win, thanks to 112 from Viswanath.[52] In November 1976, the team established another record by scoring 524 for 9 declared against New Zealand at Kanpur without any individual batsman scoring a century.[53] This innings was only the eighth instance in Test cricket where all eleven batsmen reached double figures.[54] During the 1980s, India developed a more attack-minded batting line-up with stroke makers such as the wristy Mohammad Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar and all-rounders Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri. India won the Cricket World Cup in 1983, defeating the favourites and the two-time defending champions West Indies in the final at Lord's, owing to a strong bowling performance. In spite of this, the team performed poorly in the Test arena, including 28 consecutive Test matches without a victory. In 1984, India won the Asia Cup and in 1985, won the World Championship of Cricket in Australia. Apart from this, India remained a weak team outside the Indian subcontinent. India's Test series victory in 1986 against England remained the last Test series win by India outside the subcontinent for the next 19 years. The 1980s saw Gavaskar and Kapil Dev (India's best all-rounder to date) at the pinnacle of their careers. Gavaskar made a Test record 34 centuries as he became the first man to reach the 10,000 run mark. Kapil Dev later became the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 434 wickets.
T20 International- India played there first T2O International in 2006 against South Africa. In September 2007, India won the first-ever ICC Men's T20 World Cup held in South Africa, beating Pakistan by five runs in the final.[55] In the 2014 ICC Men's World Twenty20 hosted in Bangladesh, India narrowly missed out on another ICC trophy by losing to Sri Lanka in the final.[56]
Mithali Raj is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket.[57][58]
India have been participating in international cricket since 1976 and competed in international tournament since the second ever the 1978 Women's Cricket World Cup. They have competed in numerous tournaments over the years including the ACC tournaments. They are the most successful women's cricket team in Asia. The Indian Women's national team is also currently ranked No. 4 in ODIs and at 3rd position in T20Is.
Test International- India made their debut as a Test playing nation in 1976 against West Indies. In past time, India women's rarely play test and won it. But in recent years they are playing more test matches and winning it to.
One Day International-India played their first ODI International in 1978 against England. They were not able to participate in first edition of Women's Cricket World Cup. But in late 19s they have reached to ODI world cup semis consequently and in 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup they have almost clinch the title in the finals.
T20 International- India played their first T20 International in 2006 against England. India Women's have made great impact in T20 international from their early day of this format. They have been in semis of ICC Women's T20 World Cup consequently in first 2 Edition.
Domestic Cricket
Men's Domestic Cricket
First class competitions
Ranji Trophy – It was founded as the 'Cricket Championship of India' at a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in July 1934. The first Ranji Trophy fixtures took place in the 1934–35 season. Syed Mohammed Hadi of Hyderabad was the first batsman to score a century in the tournament. The Trophy was donated by H. H. Sir Bhupendra Singh Mahinder Baha-dur, Maharajah of Patiala in memory of his late Highness Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji of Nawanagar, affectionately called Ranjitsinhji. In the main, the Ranji Trophy is composed of teams representing the states that makeup India. The number of competing teams has increased over the years. Some states have more than one cricket team, e.g., Maharashtra and Gujarat. There are also teams for Railways and Services representing the armed forces. The various teams used to be grouped into zones – North, West, East, Central and South – and the initial matches were played on a league basis within the zones. The top two teams until 1991–92 and then the top three teams in the subsequent years from each zone then played in a national knock-out competition. Starting with the 2002–03 season, the zonal system was abandoned and a two-division structure was adopted with two teams being promoted from the plate league and two relegated from the elite league. If the knockout matches are not finished, they are decided on the first-inning lead.[59]
Duleep Trophy – Named after Duleepsinhji, the Duleep Trophy competition, which is a first-class competition, was started by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1961–62 with the aim of providing a greater competitive edge in domestic cricket, because apart from the knock-out stages of the Ranji Trophy, that competition proved to be highly predictable, with Bombay winning the Ranji Trophy for fifteen consecutive years. The Duleep Trophy was also meant to help the selectors to assess the form of top cricketers playing against each other. The original format had five teams, which were drawn from the five zones (i.e. North, South, East, West and central) and played each other on a knock-out basis. From the 1993–94 season, the competition has been converted to a league format.
Irani Trophy – The Irani Trophy tournament was conceived during the 1959–60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z. R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970 and a keen patron of the game. The first match, played between the Ranji Trophy champions and the Rest of India was played in 1959–60. For the first few years, it was played at the tail end of the season. Realising the importance of the fixture, the BCCI moved it to the beginning of the season. Since 1965–66, it has traditionally heralded the start of the new domestic season. The Irani Trophy game ranks high in popularity and importance. It is one of the few domestic matches followed with keen interest by cricket lovers in the country. Leading players take part in the game, which has often been a sort of selection trial to pick the Indian team for foreign tours.
Limited overs competitions
Deodhar Trophy – Started in 1973–74 by Board of Control for Cricket in India, it is a one-day cricket competition in Indian domestic cricket. It was formerly contested by 5 zonal teams – North zone, South zone, East zone, West zone and Central zone. From 2015–16 to 2017–18, it was contested by the winners of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India A and India B. Starting in 2018–19 it has featured India A, India B and India C.
Vijay Hazare Trophy – Named after the prolific Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare, the Trophy was started in 2002–03 as an attempt to bring the limited-overs game among a greater audience. The competition involves the state (and other) teams from the Ranji Trophy battling in a 50-over format. Since its conception, Tamil Nadu and Mumbai have won the trophy the most times (5). It is also dubbed as the Premier Cup by BCCI.
Twenty20 competitions
Indian Premier League – In response to the rival ICL, the BCCI started the Twenty20 competition known as the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is regarded as the brainchild of Lalit Modi. This League was launched by BCCI in 2007–08 and received widespread recognition from around the country. The players were selected via the auctions and drafted into the city-based franchises. The first IPL season was held from 18 April 2008 to 1 June 2008 where underdogs Rajasthan Royals, led by Shane Warne, won the first title at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai[60] Based on regional loyalties, the eight-team tournament brings a unique and popular team and player auction system hand-picking some of the best international players in the world and teaming them with Indian players, both domestic and international, in one arena. The total prize money for the IPL was $3 million.[60] The IPL has also Americanized cricket by adding cheerleaders and creating a setting of non stop action similar to sporting events in the USA. The IPL tournament consists of 10 different city based franchises.[61]
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – After India became another member of the ICC Twenty20 and played its first international T20 against South Africa, the BCCI launched its own state structure in 2006–07 season, with 27 Ranji teams divided in 5 Zones. The final was played between Punjab and Tamil Nadu, which the latter won by 2 wickets with 2 balls remaining, thereby becoming the only ever winner of this series. In this series, Rohit Sharma also became the only ever Indian to register a T20 century for Mumbai against Gujarat. The competition was later replaced by the franchise-based IPL. Played for the first time in the 2008–09 season, this is the first of its kind zonal T20 championship and the third overall in the Indian cricket season, which would see Ranji teams divided along zonal lines into two groups with the tournament culminating in the All India T20 final between the winners of the two groups for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It was launched after the success of the IPL and the need of the BCCI to search for more talent in the growing regions of cricket.
In 2020, stronger crowd participation was seen than in other forms of the game. It has been greatly acknowledged by people and has made huge profits.
Youth competitions
CK Nayudu Trophy - It is a domestic cricket championship played in India between under-23 teams representing various state and regional cricket associations. It is organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is named after India's first Test cricket captain C. K. Nayudu.[62][63] Each match is played over four-days. Over its history, it has been played with various age-limits including under-22, under-23, under-25. The current champions are Gujarat who defeated Mumbai in the 2023 final.[64]
Senior Women's One Day Trophy – Started in season 2006–07, it is the women's List-A cricket tournament. Railways women has been the most dominant team, winning 10 out of the 11 tournaments. It was played in round-robin format at zonal level and the top performing team then playing in the super league. The format was changed in season 2013–14, since then it is played in 2 tiers, with states being divided in 5 groups, 2 in elite group and 3 in plate group. Finalists in the plate group, at the end of season are promoted to the elite group and 2 bottom most performing teams in the elite group are relegated to the plate group.
Senior Women's T20 Trophy – It is a women'sTwenty20 competition. It is played between full members of BCCI. The inaugural tournament was held in the 2008–09 season. Since then it has taken place every year with 2015–16 being the 8th edition.[70]
India has a plethora of international standards Cricket stadiums. The world's largest stadium, Narendra Modi Stadium, is located in India.[71]Eden Gardens of Kolkata, the 3rd largest cricket stadium in the world, is situated in West Bengal.[72] The domestic cricket governing bodies such as the State Cricket Association controls cricket related activities and sanctioned tournaments in their respective regions and hence, there are 38 Ranji Teams. These domestic boards are affiliated to BCCI, while district cricket boards in the country are affiliated to state boards. The country has lots of private cricket academies and clubs. The world's 3rd largest cricket arena is being built in Jaipur.[73]MRF Pace Foundation provide facilities to fast ballers.[74]
Active stadiums
More information Name of the stadium, Location ...
Cricket is portrayed in Indian popular culture as an extremely important part of India's national identity.[5] It is frequently associated with a strong sense of patriotism and nationalism.[5]
83 is also a film produced by Reliance Entertainment and directed by Kabir Khan. It stars actor Ranveer Singh as India national team captain Kapil Dev, known as one of India's greatest bowlers in cricketing history. The film is of the historical genre of Indian films and covers the Indian national team's underdog victory in the 1983 Cricket World Cup. 83 was received well by audiences and critics alike, scoring 80% on Rotten Tomatoes[200] and 7.5 on IMDb.[201] Many reviews appreciated the film's emphasis on national pride and dramatic storytelling of India's famous victory in 1983, although some criticized the film for unnecessarily over-dramatizing parts of the story.[201][202]
Celebrities
Indian national cricket players are viewed as some of the highest-profile celebrities in India, especially Sachin Tendulkar, who some attribute god-like status to.[203] Towards the end of his sporting career, Tendulkar began to pursue a political career, being sworn in as an MP to Rajya Sabha, India's upper house of Parliament in 2012,[204] one year before retiring officially in 2013. While Tendulkar has not officially associated himself with any political party, various literature have claimed that he started to become a Hindu-centric role model after the turn of the 21st century during his cricketing career.[203][205]
Remove ads
Clubs on social media
The five most popular cricket clubs on social media in the world are all Indian Premier League clubs as of 2024:[206]
