The Irani Cup is one of Indian cricket’s oldest first-class fixtures. It was launched in 1959-60 to mark 25 years of the Ranji Trophy and is named after Zal Irani, a long-serving BCCI official. The format is simple: the reigning Ranji Trophy champions take on a Rest of India side. More than six decades on, the 2026 edition brings a first-time entrant, with Ranji champions Jammu & Kashmir facing Rest of India in Srinagar.
List of All The Irani Cup Winners List (1959 – 2026)
Rest of India have won the trophy more often than any state side, a reflection of the depth of talent outside the champion team. Among the states, Bombay/Mumbai lead the honours list, while Vidarbha’s three titles and Jammu & Kashmir’s 2026 debut mark the competition’s newer chapters.
| Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-60 | Bombay | Rest of India | Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi |
| 1962-63 | Bombay | Rest of India | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1963-64 | Bombay | Rest of India | District College Ground, Anantapur |
| 1965-66 | Shared | N/A | Nehru Stadium, Madras |
| 1966-67 | Rest of India | Bombay | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 1967-68 | Bombay | Rest of India | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1968-69 | Rest of India | Bombay | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1969-70 | Bombay | Rest of India | Poona Club Ground, Pune |
| 1970-71 | Bombay | Rest of India | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 1971-72 | Rest of India | Bombay | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1972-73 | Bombay | Rest of India | Pune |
| 1973-74 | Rest of India | Bombay | Bangalore |
| 1974-75 | Karnataka | Rest of India | Ahmedabad |
| 1975-76 | Bombay | Rest of India | Nagpur |
| 1976-77 | Bombay | Rest of India | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
| 1977-78 | Rest of India | Bombay | Wankhede Stadium, Bombay |
| 1978-79 | Rest of India | Karnataka | Bangalore |
| 1979-80 | Shared | N/A | Jalandhar |
| 1980-81 | Delhi | Rest of India | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
| 1981-82 | Bombay | Rest of India | Indore |
| 1982-83 | Rest of India | Delhi | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
| 1983-84 | Karnataka | Rest of India | Rajkot |
| 1984-85 | Rest of India | Bombay | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
| 1985-86 | Bombay | Rest of India | Nagpur |
| 1986-87 | Rest of India | Delhi | Jodhpur |
| 1987-88 | Hyderabad | Rest of India | Secunderabad |
| 1988-89 | Tamil Nadu | Rest of India | Chepauk, Chennai |
| 1989-90 | Delhi | Rest of India | Wankhede Stadium, Bombay |
| 1990-91 | Rest of India | Bengal | Bangalore |
| 1991-92 | Haryana | Rest of India | Faridabad |
| 1992-93 | Rest of India | Delhi | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
| 1993-94 | Rest of India | Punjab | Ludhiana |
| 1994-95 | Bombay | Rest of India | Wankhede Stadium, Bombay |
| 1995-96 | Bombay | Rest of India | Wankhede Stadium, Bombay |
| 1996-97 | Karnataka | Rest of India | Bangalore |
| 1997-98 | Mumbai | Rest of India | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 1998-99 | Karnataka | Rest of India | Bangalore |
| 1999-2000 | Rest of India | Karnataka | Bangalore |
| 2000-01 | Rest of India | Mumbai | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 2001-02 | Rest of India | Baroda | Nagpur |
| 2002-03 | Railways | Rest of India | Delhi |
| 2003-04 | Rest of India | Mumbai | Chepauk, Chennai |
| 2004-05 | Rest of India | Mumbai | Mohali |
| 2005-06 | Railways | Rest of India | Delhi |
| 2006-07 | Rest of India | Uttar Pradesh | Nagpur |
| 2007-08 | Rest of India | Mumbai | Rajkot |
| 2008-09 | Rest of India | Delhi | Vadodara |
| 2009-10 | Rest of India | Mumbai | Nagpur |
| 2010-11 | Rest of India | Mumbai | Jaipur |
| 2011-12 | Rest of India | Rajasthan | Jaipur |
| 2012-13 | Rest of India | Rajasthan | Bangalore |
| 2013 | Rest of India | Mumbai | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 2013-14 | Karnataka | Rest of India | Bangalore |
| 2014-15 | Karnataka | Rest of India | Bangalore |
| 2015-16 | Rest of India | Mumbai | Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai |
| 2016-17 | Rest of India | Gujarat | Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai |
| 2017-18 | Vidarbha | Rest of India | VCA Stadium, Nagpur |
| 2018-19 | Vidarbha | Rest of India | VCA Stadium, Nagpur |
| 2019-20 | Rest of India | Saurashtra | Rajkot (played Oct 2022) |
| 2022-23 | Rest of India | Madhya Pradesh | Gwalior |
| 2023-24 | Rest of India | Saurashtra | Rajkot |
| 2024-25 | Mumbai | Rest of India | Lucknow |
| 2025-26 | Vidarbha | Rest of India | Nagpur |
| 2026 | Rest of India | Jammu & Kashmir | Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, Srinagar |
Notes: The 1965-66 and 1979-80 editions were shared after drawn matches. The 2019-20 edition was delayed by COVID-19 and played in October 2022; no Irani Cup was held in 2020-21 or 2021-22. The 2026 match (Rest of India vs Jammu & Kashmir) is being played from 1 to 5 October 2026. Venues are shown by host ground or city.
Irani Cup 2026 (Rest of India vs Jammu & Kashmir)
Jammu & Kashmir reached the 2026 Irani Cup by winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time, beating Karnataka in the 2025-26 final at Hubballi on 28 February 2026. That maiden title earned them the traditional reward of hosting Rest of India, with Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium staging the fixture from 1 to 5 October 2026, the first time the Irani Cup has been played in the Kashmir valley.
Rest of India wrapped up the title with a commanding 167-run win. Batting first, they were bowled out for 237, and the hosts replied with 278 to take a 41-run first-innings lead, Paras Dogra top-scoring with 75. The match turned in the third innings, where Smaran Ravichandran’s unbeaten 126 lifted Rest of India to 319 and set Jammu & Kashmir 279 to win. Chasing on a wearing pitch, J&K folded for 111 in 28.4 overs as Mukesh Kumar ran through them with 6 for 33, finishing with 11 wickets in the match. J&K’s first Irani Cup appearance brought a brave first-innings effort but no fairytale finish.
| Innings | Team | Score | Top Batting | Top Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rest of India | 237 all out | Smaran Ravichandran 68, Shikhar Mohan 60 | Sunil Kumar 3/36 |
| 1st | Jammu & Kashmir | 278 all out | Paras Dogra 75, Lone Nasir 64 | Mukesh Choudhary 5/78 |
| 2nd | Rest of India | 319 all out | Smaran Ravichandran 126*, Sanat Sangwan 55 | Umar Nazir 3/87 |
| 2nd | Jammu & Kashmir | 111 all out (28.4 ov) | Shubham Khajuria 36, Qamran Iqbal 32 | Mukesh Kumar 6/33 |
Result: Rest of India won by 167 runs. Mukesh Kumar took 8 wickets in the match (2/84 and 6/33) and Smaran Ravichandran scored 68 and 126 not out.
The match is being played at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar from 1 to 5 October 2026, with the valley hosting the prestigious fixture. Rishabh Pant captains a strong Rest of India side that has Sarfaraz Khan as his deputy, alongside pacers Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar and several uncapped names pushing for higher honours.
Verdict – Rest of India Defeated Jammu & Kashmir To Win Irani Cup 2026
The question before the match was whether Jammu & Kashmir could follow their maiden Ranji title with an Irani Cup upset. The answer was no. J&K led by 41 runs on first innings, with Paras Dogra and Lone Nasir among the runs, so this was no early walkover. But Smaran Ravichandran’s second-innings century and Mukesh Kumar’s 11 wickets in the match swung it firmly Rest of India’s way. A second-innings collapse to 111 sealed a 167-run defeat. For Jammu & Kashmir, the Ranji crown stays the defining achievement of their season.
