The Plate Group in the Ranji Trophy is the lower division of India’s domestic first-class cricket tournament. It features six teams competing for a separate Plate title and a chance to earn promotion to the Elite division. Under the 2026–27 format, the Plate champion earns promotion for the following season, while the Elite team with the fewest points faces relegation.
Unlike the Elite Group, the Plate Group follows its own path to the final. Plate teams compete for the division title and promotion rather than qualification for the Elite quarter-finals.
The teams and promotion rules below refer to this season. Older articles may describe a two-team promotion system or a different Plate knockout format. This page explains the rules, not live standings.
What Is Plate Group in Ranji Trophy? The Meaning at a Glance
| Question | 2026–27 answer |
|---|---|
| What kind of cricket is it? | First-class, multi-day red-ball cricket |
| How many Plate teams are there? | 6 |
| How many league games does each team play? | 5, against each other team once |
| Who reaches the Plate final? | The top 2 teams in the Plate league table |
| Who is promoted? | The Plate champion, for the following season |
| How many Elite teams are there? | 32, across four groups of eight |
Season structure: Sportstar and Cricket World.
Ranji Trophy Elite Group vs Plate Group
The Elite division contains Groups A, B, C and D. Each has eight teams. The Plate division has one six-team league. Both play first-class cricket, but their opponents, knockout routes and end-of-season objectives differ. A Plate team’s performance is measured within its own table, not by comparing its points directly with an Elite group.
| Feature | Elite division | Plate division |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | 32 | 6 |
| League groups | 4 groups of 8 | 1 group of 6 |
| League games per team | 7 | 5 |
| Knockout qualification | Top 2 from each group reach the quarter-finals | Top 2 reach the Plate final |
| Title being contested | Main Ranji Trophy championship | Separate Plate title |
| Movement between divisions | Lowest-points Elite team is relegated | Plate champion is promoted |
Ranji Trophy Plate Group Teams in 2026–27
The Ranji Trophy Plate Group teams for 2026–27 are Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. This is a season-specific list, not a permanent classification of those teams. Promotion and relegation can change it for the next edition.
| Team | League opponents | Route forward |
|---|---|---|
| Arunachal Pradesh | The other five Plate teams | Top-two finish, then win the Plate final |
| Manipur | The other five Plate teams | Top-two finish, then win the Plate final |
| Meghalaya | The other five Plate teams | Top-two finish, then win the Plate final |
| Mizoram | The other five Plate teams | Top-two finish, then win the Plate final |
| Nagaland | The other five Plate teams | Top-two finish, then win the Plate final |
| Sikkim | The other five Plate teams | Top-two finish, then win the Plate final |
Ranji Trophy Format Explained: How the Plate Group Works
In 2026–27, each Plate team plays the other five once in a single round robin. The league therefore contains 15 matches. The top two teams qualify for one Plate final, making 16 matches in the Plate competition overall. Cricket World’s published schedule lists four-day league fixtures and a five-day final scheduled for 24–28 January 2027. Recheck the schedule if you are planning to attend.
League stage
Six teams · Five games eachTeams collect match points against the other Plate sides. Finishing in the top two earns a final place; finishing first alone does not make a team champion.
Plate final and promotion
Two finalists · One promoted teamThe final decides the Plate champion. Under the current system, the champion earns promotion to the following season’s Elite division. The runner-up is not automatically promoted.
Ranji Trophy Promotion and Relegation: What Changed?
The BCCI revised the promotion and relegation system for the 2026–27 grouping, reducing movement between the Ranji Trophy's Elite and Plate divisions to one promoted team and one relegated team. Under the earlier system, two Plate teams could earn promotion. Therefore, older explanations stating that both Plate finalists move up should not be applied to the current format.
The pathway is straightforward: the Plate Group winner earns promotion to the Elite division for the following season, while the lowest-ranked team in the combined Elite standings is relegated to the Plate Group. Bihar won the 2025–26 Plate competition and moved into Elite Group A for 2026–27, while Nagaland moved to the Plate division. This explains the change in the six-team Plate lineup.
Relegation does not automatically apply to the team finishing last in each individual Elite group. The BCCI uses a combined ranking based on points, bonus points, wins, head-to-head results where applicable, and quotient to determine the team relegated.
Ranji Trophy Points System: How Teams Earn Points
The Ranji Trophy points table reflects more than the number of wins. Teams earn points based on match results, first-innings performances and bonus-point conditions. These points determine the standings within each group and help decide which teams qualify for the next stage.
| Match outcome | Points awarded |
|---|---|
| Outright win | 6 |
| Win by an innings or 10 wickets | 7, including bonus point |
| First-innings lead in a drawn match | 3 |
| First-innings deficit in a drawn match | 1 |
| First innings tied, with no outright result | Verify applicable rules |
| Match tied after both innings | Verify applicable rules |
| Outright loss | 0 |
Example: If Team A scores 320 in the first innings and Team B scores 300, and the match ends in a draw, Team A earns three points while Team B earns one point, subject to the applicable playing conditions.
In the points table, M means matches played, W wins, L losses, D draws, T ties and PT points. Always check the relevant season and division—Elite or Plate—when reading the standings. For live standings, consult the official competition table; for detailed scoring rules, refer to the BCCI playing conditions.
Can a Plate Team Win the Main Ranji Trophy That Season?
Not through the 2026–27 Plate pathway. The Plate competition has its own final. Its champion is promoted for the following season rather than entering the current Elite quarter-finals. Winning the Plate title is a meaningful result, but it should not be reported as winning the main Elite Ranji Trophy championship.
The Plate label also does not remove first-class status. When comparing a player’s record, check the opponent, match conditions and sample as well as the score. The division tells you the competitive context; it does not make every innings in one division directly comparable with an innings in another.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Plate Group in Ranji Trophy?
The Plate Group is the lower division of the Ranji Trophy. Six teams play first-class cricket for a separate Plate title and promotion to the Elite division under the 2026–27 format.
Which teams are in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group in 2026–27?
Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim are the six Plate teams for 2026–27.
Are both Plate finalists promoted?
No. In the current system, only the Plate champion is promoted. Older explanations describing two-team promotion refer to earlier rules.
Does the 2026–27 Plate Group have semi-finals?
The published 2026–27 Plate schedule has a single round-robin league followed by a final between the top two teams. It does not list a Plate semi-final stage.
Is Ranji Trophy Plate cricket first-class cricket?
Yes. The Plate competition is multi-day first-class cricket, not an ODI or T20 tournament.
How many points does a drawn Ranji Trophy match award?
When the first innings have a leader and there is no outright result, that team gets three points and the trailing team one. A tied first innings without an outright result awards one point; a match tied after both innings awards three.
The PitchVaani Perspective
Read the Plate Group as a route to a higher division, not as a permanent label attached to a team. The season matters: the 2026–27 team list and one-team promotion rule can differ from older explanations. For fans following the table, separate three questions: who is earning league points, who qualifies for the Plate final, and who wins promotion. That keeps a strong league campaign, a final appearance and a championship from being treated as the same achievement.
