The 1934–35 Ranji Trophy was the inaugural edition of India's first-class cricket championship. The tournament was originally titled The Cricket Championship of India, but was renamed as the Ranji Trophy ahead of the 1935–36 edition.[3] The first tournament ran from 4 November 1934 to 12 March 1935 and was contested in a knockout format by 15 teams divided into four zones. In the opening match, Madras defeated Mysore by an innings and 23 runs at the Chepauk Stadium and the match ended five minutes before close of play on the first day. It remains (to 2023) the only Ranji Trophy match to be completed in a single day's play. In the final, Bombay defeated Northern India by 208 runs at the Bombay Gymkhana Ground.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hoped for a nationwide participation but some states including Bengal, Bihar, and Rajputana declined or were unable to take part. The fifteen founder teams are listed alphabetically by zone and the sides that won each zonal title are in bold.
The first match of the competition was held on 4 November 1934 between Madras and Mysore at Chepauk.[4]M. J. Gopalan of Madras bowled the first ball to N. Curtis.
Madras won the match by an innings and 23 runs, five minutes before the close of play on the first day. As of 2022, this is the only first-class match in India to finish in a single day.
S. M. Hadi of Hyderabad hit the first century in the Ranji Trophy. He scored 132* against Madras at Secunderabad.[5]
George Abell of Northern India scored the first double hundred, with 210 v Army. In the same innings, he was involved in a partnership of 304 with Ahmed Raza.[6]
Abell scored a century before lunch on the second day (24* to 128*), the first such instance in the Ranji Trophy.[7]
Baqa Jilani took a hat-trick for Northern India v Southern Punjab in the semifinal at Amritsar.[8]
Southern Punjab was all out for 22 in the same innings. This remained the lowest team total in the Ranji Trophy until Hyderabad was all out for 21 against Rajasthan in 2010–11.
Madras was intended to be the venue of the semi-final between Bombay and Hyderabad, but it was moved to Bombay as the cricket association in Madras was not in a position to host it. Subsequently, Hyderabad declined to travel, meaning the semi-final was a walkover to Bombay.
