Duleep Trophy is one of the top class domestic cricket tournaments in India that started its journey in the years of 1961-62 as zonal rather than a state first-class competition.
Naming of Duleep Trophy
Duleep Trophy competition is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji of Nawanagar (also known as "Duleep").
History of Duleep Trophy
Duleep Trophy is a famous Cricket competition in domestic Cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named the tournament after the legendary cricketer, KS Duleep Singh. According to the original format of the tournament, there were a number of five teams, drawn from the five zones - North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone and Central Zone. The teams played each other on a knockout basis and the BCCI decided to convert the tournament to a league format, from 1993-1994.
Format of Duleep Trophy
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) once again changed the format of the Duleep Trophy in the year of 2002-03 and replaced the zonal teams with five new sides named, Elite A, Elite B, Elite C, Plate A and Plate B.
Construction of the Teams in Duleep Trophy
The BCCI constructed the teams from the new Elite Group and Plate Group divisions that had been introduced into the Ranji Trophy in that season. However, this format lasted for only one season, as BCCI felt that the new teams lacked a sense of identity and as a result, it went into the old zonal format from 2003-04. The BCCI also started to invite one overseas guest side every year in the tournament, England A being the first one to come.
First Champion in Duleep Trophy
The West Zone has the credit of becoming the first Champion in the Duleep Trophy, in the 1961-62 seasons. The team beat the South Zone by 10 wickets in the final to win the trophy. Each of the zonal teams is actually a composite team of some cricketers, who play for the Ranji Trophy state/city teams situated in that region of India.
North Zone Cricket Team
The North Zone has been the most successful team in the Duleep Trophy so far, as it won the tournament for a record 17 times, including one shared trophy. The guest teams that have been invited for playing in the Duleep Trophy so far include the teams like England A, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe Cricket Union President`s XI, Sri Lanka A and England Lions. North Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents northern India in the Duleep Trophy. North Zone is a composite team of players from six first-class Indian teams from northern part of India like Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Services.
South Zone Cricket Team
The South Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents southern India. It is a composite team of players from six first-class Indian teams from southern India like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
East Zone Cricket Team
East Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents eastern India in the Duleep Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Inter Zonal. It is a composite team of five first-class Indian teams from eastern India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Assam, Bengal (West Bengal), Jharkhand, Odisha and Tripura.
West Zone Cricket Team
West Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents western India in the Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy. It is a composite team of players from five first-class Indian teams from western India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Baroda, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Mumbai and Saurashtra.
Central Zone Cricket Team
Central Zone cricket team is a first-class cricket team that represents central India in the Duleep Trophy and Deodhar Trophy. It is a composite team of players from five first-class Indian teams from central India competing in the Ranji Trophy: Madhya Pradesh, Railways, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Vidarbha.
Statistics in Duleep Trophy
| Season | Winner | Runner Up | Result | |
| 1961-62 | West Zone | South Zone | West Zone by 10 wickets | |
| 1962-63 | West Zone | South Zone | West Zone by 1 Inn & 20 runs | |
| 1963-64 | West Zone & South Zone (shared) | Draw | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi | |
| 1964-65 | West Zone | Central Zone | West Zone by 1 Inn & 89 runs | |
| 1965-66 | South Zone | Central Zone | South Zone by 1 Inn & 20 runs | |
| 1966-67 | South Zone | West Zone | Draw, South won by 68 runs the 1st Innings | |
| 1967-68 | South Zone | West Zone | Draw, South won by 17 runs the 1st Innings | |
| 1968-69 | West Zone | South Zone | Draw, West won by 82 runs the 1st Innings | |
| 1969-70 | West Zone | North Zone | West Zone won by an innings and 81 runs | |
| 1970-71 | South Zone | East Zone | South won by 10 wickets | |
| 1971-72 | Central Zone | West Zone | Central by 2 wickets | |
| 1972-73 | West Zone | Central Zone | West Zone won by an innings and 172 runs | |
| 1973-74 | North Zone | Central Zone | Central Zone won by 76 runs | |
| 1974-75 | South Zone | West Zone | South won by 9 wickets | |
| 1975-76 | South Zone | North Zone | South won by 37 runs | |
| 1976-77 | West Zone | North Zone | West won by 9 wickets | |
| 1977-78 | West Zone | North Zone | Draw, West won by 178 the 1st Innings | |
| 1978-79 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North won by 140 the 1st Innings | |
| 1979-80 | North Zone | West Zone | North won by 104 runs | |
| 1980-81 | West Zone | East Zone | Draw, West won by 101 the 1st Innings | |
| 1981-82 | West Zone | East Zone | Draw, West won by 104 the 1st Innings | |
| 1982-83 | North Zone | South Zone | North won by 8 wickets | |
| 1983-84 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North won by 58 the 1st Innings | |
| 1984-85 | South Zone | North Zone | South won by 73 runs | |
| 1985-86 | West Zone | South Zone | West by 9 wickets | |
| 1986-87 | South Zone | West Zone | Draw, South won by 224 runs | |
| 1987-88 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North won by 424 the 1st Innings | |
| 1988-89 | North Zone & West Zone (shared) | Draw | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi | |
| 1989-90 | South Zone | Central Zone | South won by 322 runs | |
| 1990-91 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North won by 168 the 1st Innings | |
| 1991-92 | North Zone | West Zone | North won by 236 runs | |
| 1992-93 | North Zone | Central Zone | Draw, North won by 171 the 1st Innings | |
| 1993-94 | North Zone | West Zone | Round Robin | |
| 1994-95 | North Zone | South Zone | Round Robin | |
| 1995-96 | South Zone | Central Zone | Round Robin | |
| 1996-97 | Central Zone | South Zone | Central won by 161 runs | |
| 1997-98 | Central Zone & West Zone (shared) | Draw | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | |
| 1998-99 | Central Zone | West Zone | Central won by 122 runs | |
| 1999-2000 | North Zone | West Zone | Draw, North won by 101 on 1st innings | |
| 2000-01 | North Zone | Central Zone | Round Robin | |
| 2001-02 | West Zone | North Zone | Round Robin | |
| 2002-03 | Elite C | Plate Group B | Round Robin | |
| 2003-04 | North Zone | East Zone | North won by 59 runs | |
| 2004-05 | Central Zone | North Zone | Central won by nine wickets | |
| 2005-06 | West Zone | East Zone | West won by five wickets | |
| 2006-07 | North Zone | Sri Lanka A | North won by eight wickets | |
| 2007-08 | North Zone | West Zone | North won by six wickets | |
| 2008-09 | West Zone | South Zone | West won by 274 runs | |
| 2009-10 | West Zone | South Zone | West won by three wickets | |
| 2010-11 | South Zone | North Zone | South won by seven wickets | |
| 2011-12 | East Zone | Central Zone | East won by an innings and 20 runs | |
| 2012-13 | East Zone | Central Zone | East Zone won on 1st innings lead | |
| 2013-14 | North Zone & South Zone (shared) | Draw | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi | |
| 2014-15 | Central Zone | South Zone | Central Zone won by 9 runs | |
| 2016-17 | India Blue | India Red | India Blue by 355 runs |