1937–38 Ranji Trophy

{{Infobox cricket tournament

| name = 1937–38 Ranji Trophy

| image = Ranji_trophy.jpg

| imagesize = 350px

| caption = The Ranji Trophy

| administrator = BCCI

| cricket format = First-class

| tournament format = Knockout

| fromdate = 17 October 1937

| todate = 24 February 1938

| champions = Hyderabad

| count = 1

| participants = 18

| matches = 18

| most runs = Amar Singh (Nawanagar) (370){{cite web |title=Most runs |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Ranji_Trophy_1937-38/Batting_by_Runs.html |access-date=6 August 2014}}

| most wickets = Amar Singh (Nawanagar) (24){{cite web |title=Most wickets |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/1/Ranji_Trophy_1937-38/Bowling_by_Wickets.html |access-date=6 August 2014}}

| previous_year = 1936–37

| previous_tournament = 1936–37 Ranji Trophy

| next_year = 1938–39

| next_tournament = 1938–39 Ranji Trophy

| website = http://www.bcci.tv

}}

The 1937–38 Ranji Trophy was the fourth edition of the Ranji Trophy, an annual first-class cricket tournament in India. Matches were played from 17 October 1937 to 24 February 1938 with a total of 18 teams participating. The sides were divided into four zonal groups, but the tournament utilised a knockout format. Hyderabad defeated the defending champions Nawanagar in the final.

Teams

Although the tournament ran in a knockout format, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organised the teams by zone. Delhi were absent from North Zone but Northern India returned and North West Frontier Province made their debut. South Zone was reduced to three teams after Central Provinces and Berar withdrew. West Zone had seven teams with Baroda making their debut. The eighteen teams are listed alphabetically by zone and the sides that won each zonal title are in bold.

East Zone
Bengal
Bihar
Central India (now Madhya Pradesh)
Rajputana (now Rajasthan)

South Zone
Hyderabad
Madras (now Tamil Nadu)
Mysore (now Karnataka)

Highlights

Hyderabad qualified for the final after getting walkovers in the previous two rounds when their opposition failed to appear. The Ranji final was the only match they played in this season.
Hyderabad's feat of winning the Ranji Trophy after winning only one match is a rare feat: Maharashtra in 1940–41, Bombay in 1967–68, Hyderabad again in 1986–87 and Bengal in 1989–90 all won only one match outright when winning the title.
Amar Singh topped the batting and bowling aggregates for the season. He scored 370 runs and took 24 wickets in four matches.
Against Bombay in the decisive match in the West Zone, Amar Singh scored 140* and took 6/22 in the first innings, bowling Bombay out for 45. Against Baroda he scored 66 and took 6 wickets in the match, and against Sind 86 and 10 wickets for 61 (3/35 and 7/26).
Nawanagar defeated Baroda by an innings and 275 runs, Sind by an innings and 144 runs and Bombay by an innings and 130 runs before losing the final.

Zonal matches

=East Zone=

{{Round4

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 150px

| score-width = 80px

|RD1 = Round 1|RD2 = Round 2}}

=North Zone=

{{Round4

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 175px

| score-width = 80px

|RD1 = Round 1|RD2 = Round 2}}

= South Zone =

{{Round4

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 150px

| score-width = 80px

|||||

||Hyderabad|Walkover|Madras|

|skipmatch01=yes|skipmatch02=no

|RD1 = Round 1|RD2 = Round 2}}

= West Zone =

{{Round8

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 150px

| score-width = 80px

|||||

|skipmatch01=no|skipmatch02=yes|skipmatch03=no|skipmatch04=no

|RD1 = Round 1|RD2 = Round 2|RD3 = Round 3}}

Inter-zonal knockout matches

{{Round4

| seed-width = 25px

| team-width = 150px

| score-width = 80px

||Hyderabad|Walkover|Southern Punjab|

||Nawanagar|Walkover|Bengal|

}}

Final

{{Test match

| date = 22–24 February 1938

| team1 = Nawanagar

| team2 = Hyderabad

| score-team1-inns1 = 152 (54.4 overs)

| runs-team1-inns1 = Nariman Marshall 36

| wickets-team1-inns1 = Hyder Ali 4/55 (22.4 overs)

| score-team2-inns1 = 113 (31.2 overs)

| runs-team2-inns1 = Mohammad Hussain 36

| wickets-team2-inns1 = Shute Banerjee 4/34

| score-team1-inns2 = 270 (70.4 overs)

| runs-team1-inns2 = Albert Wensley 67

| wickets-team1-inns2 = Hyder Ali 5/92 (23 overs)

| score-team2-inns2 = 310/9 (100.4 overs)

| runs-team2-inns2 = Edulji Aibara 137*

| wickets-team2-inns2 = Mubarak Ali 3/48 (21 overs)

| result = Hyderabad won by 1 wicket

| venue = Brabourne Stadium, Bombay

| umpires = Dattatraya Naik and Vali Ahmed

| report = [http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1930S/1937-38/IND_LOCAL/RANJI/HYD_NAW_RJI-FINAL_22-24FEB1938.html Scorecard]

| toss = Nawanagar won the toss and elected to bat.

| rain =

| notes = The match was played in a neutral ground.

Nariman Marshall and Amar Singh (both Nawanagar) passed 1,000 and 3,000 runs respectively in first-class cricket.{{cite web |title=Ranji Trophy 1937/38 (Final) |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/16/16507.html |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=27 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018213438/https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/16/16507.html |archive-date=18 October 2012}}
Edulji Aibara's (Hyderabad) 137 was the highest individual score in a successful chase in a Ranji Trophy final before it was surpassed by Parthiv Patel (143) in 2016–17.{{cite news |title=Ranji Trophy 2016/17, stats review: From Gujarat's highest successful chase in final to Rishab Pant's triple ton – Firstpost |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/ranji-trophy-201617-stats-review-from-gujarats-highest-successful-chase-in-final-to-rishab-pants-triple-ton-3205850.html |access-date=27 July 2018 |work=Firstpost |date=16 January 2017}}
Hyderabad's 310 was the highest fourth innings total to win a Ranji final before it was surpassed by Gujarat's 312 in 2016–17.{{cite web |title=Stats: Priyank Panchal's season of reckoning |url=https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/90106/ranji-trophy-2016-17-cricket-gujarat-ranji-trophy-final-indore-mumbai-priyank-panchals-season-of-reckoning |website=Cricbuzz |access-date=27 July 2018 |language=en |date=14 January 2017}}

}}

References

External links

[http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1930S/1937-38/IND_LOCAL/RANJI/ Ranji Trophy, 1937-38] at ESPNcricinfo
{{CricketArchive|ref=Archive/Events/1/Ranji_Trophy_1937-38|name=Ranji Trophy 1937/38}}

Category:1937 in Indian cricket

Category:1938 in Indian cricket

Category:Domestic cricket competitions in 1937–38

Category:Ranji Trophy seasons