The Duleep Trophy is a premier first-class cricket tournament in India. Established to honour the legendary cricketer Duleepsinhji, this competition traditionally featured teams from India’s various geographical zones, with occasional special invitees.
Between the 2016–17 and 2019–20 seasons, the format was altered to involve teams selected by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). After a three-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the original zonal format was reinstated in the 2022-23 season. South Zone emerged victorious in the 2023 tournament, and they currently hold the championship title.
Here’s all you need to know about Duleep Trophy.
History of the Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy was established by the BCCI in the 1961–62 season, featuring teams from India’s geographical zones: North, South, East, West, and Central. The inaugural title was claimed by West Zone, defeating South Zone by ten wickets. Talking about the Duleep Trophy format, the tournament initially used a knockout format, switching to a league format in the 1993–94 season, then back to knockout for four years, and again to a league format from 2000–01.
In 2002–03, zonal teams were replaced by Ranji Trophy groups for one season. From 2003–04, a sixth guest team was included until 2009–10. The championship was not held in 2015–16, but resumed in 2016–17 with three BCCI-selected teams and day-night matches using pink balls. After a COVID-19 hiatus, the original zonal format returned in 2022–23, including a new North East zone.
Duleep Trophy Winners List
West Zone, with 19 titles, is the most successful team in the Duleep Trophy competition. South Zone are the current defending champions.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Result | Final venue |
| 1961–62 | West Zone | South Zone | West zone won by 10 wickets | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1962–63 | West Zone | South Zone | West zone won by an Innings and 20 runs | Eden Gardens, Calcutta |
| 1963–64 | West Zone & South Zone (shared) | Draw | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi | |
| 1964–65 | West Zone | Central Zone | West zone won by an innings and 89 runs | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1965–66 | South Zone | Central Zone | South zone won by an innings and 20 runs | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Madras |
| 1966–67 | South Zone | West Zone | Draw, South zone won by first innings lead | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1967–68 | South Zone | West Zone | Draw, South zone won by first innings lead | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1968–69 | West Zone | South Zone | Draw, West zone won by first innings lead | Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad |
| 1969–70 | West Zone | North Zone | West zone won by an innings and 81 runs | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 1970–71 | South Zone | East Zone | South zone won by 10 wickets | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1971–72 | Central Zone | West Zone | Central zone by 2 wickets | Central College Ground, Bangalore |
| 1972–73 | West Zone | Central Zone | West zone won by an innings and 172 runs | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1973–74 | North Zone | Central Zone | Central zone won by 76 runs | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1974–75 | South Zone | West Zone | South zone won by 9 wickets | Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad |
| 1975–76 | South Zone | North Zone | South zone won by 37 runs | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Madras |
| 1976–77 | West Zone | North Zone | West zone won by 9 wickets | Moti Bagh Stadium, Baroda |
| 1977–78 | West Zone | North Zone | Draw, West zone won by first innings lead | Wankhede Stadium, Bombay |
| 1978–79 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North zone won by first innings lead | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
| 1979–80 | North Zone | West Zone | North zone won by 104 runs | Wankhede Stadium, Bombay |
| 1980–81 | West Zone | East Zone | Draw, West zone won by first innings lead | Eden Gardens, Calcutta |
| 1981–82 | West Zone | East Zone | Draw, West zone won by first innings lead | Brabourne Stadium, Bombay |
| 1982–83 | North Zone | South Zone | North zone won by 8 wickets | Wankhede Stadium, Bombay |
| 1983–84 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North zone won by first innings lead | Barabati Stadium, Cuttack |
| 1984–85 | South Zone | North Zone | South zone won by 73 runs | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi |
| 1985–86 | West Zone | South Zone | West zone by 9 wickets | Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 1986–87 | South Zone | West Zone | Draw, South zone won by first innings lead | Wankhede Stadium, Bombay |
| 1987–88 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North zone won by first innings lead | Jayanti Stadium, Bhilai |
| 1988–89 | North Zone & West Zone (shared) | Draw | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi | |
| 1989–90 | South Zone | Central Zone | South zone won by 322 runs | Gymkhana Ground, Secunderabad |
| 1990–91 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North zone won by first innings lead | Keenan Stadium, Jamshedpur |
| 1991–92 | North Zone | West Zone | North zone won by 236 runs | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, Valsad |
| 1992–93 | North Zone | Central Zone | Draw, North zone won by first innings lead | Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad |
| 1993–94 | North Zone | West Zone | Round Robin | NA |
| 1994–95 | North Zone | South Zone | Round Robin | NA |
| 1995–96 | South Zone | Central Zone | Round Robin | NA |
| 1996–97 | Central Zone | South Zone | Central zone won by 161 runs | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali |
| 1997–98 | Central Zone & West Zone (shared) | Draw | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | |
| 1998–99 | Central Zone | West Zone | Central zone won by 122 runs | N2 Stadium, Aurangabad |
| 1999–2000 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North zone won by first innings lead | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 2000–01 | North Zone | Central Zone | Round Robin | NA |
| 2001–02 | West Zone | North Zone | Round Robin | NA |
| 2002–03 | Elite C | Plate Group B | Round Robin | NA |
| 2003–04 | North Zone | East Zone | North zone won by 59 runs | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali |
| 2004–05 | Central Zone | North Zone | Central zone won by nine wickets | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur |
| 2005–06 | West Zone | East Zone | West zone won by five wickets | Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad |
| 2006–07 | North Zone | Sri Lanka A | North zone won by eight wickets | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 2007–08 | North Zone | West Zone | North zone won by six wickets | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 2008–09 | West Zone | South Zone | West zone won by 274 runs | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 2009–10 | West Zone | South Zone | West zone won by three wickets | Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad |
| 2010–11 | South Zone | North Zone | South zone won by seven wickets | ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam |
| 2011–12 | East Zone | Central Zone | East zone won by an innings and 20 runs | Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore |
| 2012–13 | East Zone | Central Zone | Draw, East zone won by first innings lead | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| 2013–14 | North Zone & South Zone (shared) | Draw | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi | |
| 2014–15 | Central Zone | South Zone | Central zone won by 9 runs | Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi |
| 2016–17 | India Blue | India Red | India Blue won by 355 runs | Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, Greater Noida |
| 2017–18 | India Red | India Blue | India Red won by 163 runs | Lucknow International Cricket Stadium, Lucknow |
| 2018–19 | India Blue | India Red | India Blue won by an innings and 187 runs | NPR College Ground, Dindigul |
| 2019–20 | India Red | India Green | India Red won by an innings and 38 runs | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 2022–23 | West Zone | South Zone | West zone won by 294 runs | SNR College Cricket Ground, Coimbatore |
| 2023 | South Zone | West Zone | South zone won by 75 runs | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
FAQs
Which is the most successful team in the Duleep Trophy?
West Zone, with 19 titles, is the most successful team in the Duleep Trophy competition.
What format is the Duleep Trophy?
Duleep Trophy comes under First Class cricket. The matches are played across four days.
Across how many days is a Ranji Trophy match played?
A Ranji Trophy match is played across four days.
