Big runs. Sensational spells. Thrilling finishes. It's been an action-packed start to the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season. The opening four rounds have provided high-voltage action, with record-breaking knocks and spells. As we head into the Diwali break, here's a wrap of the action so far in India's premier domestic red-ball tournament.

Batters go big

Milestones were created and benchmarks set as the batters put up big scores to set the tone. Mizoram's Chinmay Sutar made headlines by becoming just the second player to hit a quadruple-century in Ranji Trophy history, smashing 400 not out against Nagaland in the Plate Group. He's been in prolific form with scores of 35, 99, 400*, 125 and 175 this season.

Baroda's Priyanshu Moliya made waves with an unbeaten 321 against a quality Jammu & Kashmir bowling attack in Vadodara, registering the highest individual first-class score by a Baroda batter. Delhi captain Ayush Badoni led from the front with two double-centuries – 217 against Gujarat and 210* against Jharkhand – to make an early impact. The double-centuries continued to flow, with Gujarat's Urvil Patel (210* vs Kerala), Tamil Nadu's Pradosh Ranjan Paul (208 vs Chandigarh) and Punjab's Sanvir Singh (205 vs Andhra) going big. Meanwhile, Punjab's Salil Arora went on a century-scoring spree, hitting four hundreds in four matches.

Spinners go on a rampage

Harsh Dubey recorded the best bowling figures by a Vidarbha bowler in Ranji Trophy history, claiming 9/53 against Madhya Pradesh and following it up with 5/37 in the second innings to complete a 14-wicket match haul, powering his team to a thumping win by an innings and 20 runs.

Saurashtra's Parth Bhut continued his good form with a magnificent spell of 8/17 against Assam in Rajkot, taking his season tally to 26 wickets from three matches. The ever-reliable Tanush Kotian starred for Mumbai with a career-best 8/81 against Haryana and followed it up with 7/45 against Railways. Saransh Jain continued to deliver big with a 13-wicket match haul against Bihar, scalping 7/40 in the first innings and 6/49 in the second. Tamil Nadu captain R Sai Kishore and Mumbai pacer Tushar Deshpande also made headlines with a hat-trick each.

Thrillers and strong comebacks

The first four rounds produced some gripping contests. A roller-coaster contest between J&K and Vidarbha in Srinagar saw the visitors reduced to 26/6 in a chase of 79 before Harsh Dubey, Mandar Mahale and Nachiket Bhute chipped in with small but crucial knocks to take Vidarbha past the finish line, winning by three wickets.

The Plate Group saw Meghalaya pull off a thriller against Manipur with a nerve-wracking three-run win, defending a target of 276 in the fourth innings.

Rajasthan scripted a brilliant fightback after being bowled out for 78 and nearly pulled off a superb win. They bowled Himachal Pradesh out for 153 in reply and then piled on 521/8 declared in the second innings, setting the home side a target of 447 in Dharamsala. They then had Himachal Pradesh reeling at 87/6 before Pukhraj Mann and Mukul Negi's strong defiance with a 156-run stand for the seventh wicket denied the visitors a win, as the hosts finished on 313/7.

Shams Mulani, Musheer Khan and Tanush Kotian helped Mumbai pull off a thrilling win over Railways in the final few minutes of the last day at the Brabourne Stadium to maintain their winning run, making it four in a row.

Hyderabad edged Chhattisgarh by one wicket at home in a gripping contest in the fourth round. With 39 needed and one wicket remaining, Gangam Anikethreddy and Rakshann Readdi held their nerve and helped the home side cross the finish line, chasing down 259 after conceding a slender four-run first-innings lead.

Vidarbha, Mumbai get off to a perfect start as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad and Sikkim set early pace

Vidarbha and Mumbai have started off in blistering fashion, winning all four of their matches and sitting on top of their respective groups. Mumbai dominated the first three rounds with bonus-point victories before pulling off a thrilling win over Railways towards the fag end of the final day in the fourth round to make it a perfect four and top Elite Group D. Vidarbha, meanwhile, have registered two innings victories during their four-match winning run, topping Elite Group A.

Hyderabad won three of their four matches to top Elite Group B, while Maharashtra are leading Elite Group C with 19 points. Tamil Nadu too have had an impressive start, with three wins and a draw from four matches, sitting second behind Mumbai. Sikkim lead the Plate Group with 15 points, with two wins and two draws from four matches.