M. J. Gopalan Trophy was the trophy in Indian cricket, which was named after the famous Indian cricketer M. J. Gopalan. Morappakam Josyam Gopalan was a man of multitalented genius, who played both cricket and hockey. He represented India in the colonial era.
History of M. J. Gopalan Trophy
M. J. Gopalan Trophy was a yearly first-class cricket competition played between Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu between 1952-1953 and 2007-2008. This cricket tournament was famous mostly in South India.
Teams in M. J. Gopalan Trophy
The idea of the competition came about with the starting of a silver jubilee fund in 1952 to celebrate the 25th birth year of Morappakam Josyam Gopalan as a cricket and hockey player. Through the fund, an annual cricket match was instituted between Madras Cricket Team which is now known as the Tamil Nadu Cricket Team and Ceylon Cricket Team, which is known as Srilanka Cricket Team.
Ceylon won the first match in M. J. Gopalan Trophy, which was held in 1952 to 1953 session. The match became a regular fixture in the calendar until Sri Lanka received Test status in the year 1983 and the competition was stopped.
Again in the year 2000, this cricket tournament was revived. There held a match between Tamil Nadu Cricket Team and Colombo District Cricket Association. About two years later the fixture was dropped again but in 2007 the Sri Lankan and Tamil Nadu boards agreed to restart the competition. A match was played in September 2007 between Tamil Nadu Cricket Team and a Sri Lankan XI Cricket Team, won by the Sri Lankan team. There have been 27 first-class matches for MJ Gopalan Trophy. The names of the competing sides have varied, especially the Sri Lankan teams.
Seasons in M. J. Gopalan Trophy
| Year/Season | Venue | Result |
| 1952-53 | Chepauk Stadium, Madras | Ceylon by 95 runs |
| 1953-54 | Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground, Colombo | Ceylon Cricket Association by an innings and 108 runs |
| 1955-56 | Nehru Stadium, Madras | Ceylon by an innings and 14 runs |
| 1956-57 | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo | Ceylon Cricket Association by 5 wickets |
| 1957-58 | Chepauk Stadium, Madras | Madras by 2 wickets |
| 1958-59 | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo | Drawn |
| 1959-60 | Nehru Stadium, Madras | Madras by 8 wickets |
| 1960-61 | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo | Ceylon Cricket Association by 169 runs |
| 1961-62 | Nehru Stadium, Madras | Ceylon by an innings and 66 runs |
| 1963-64 | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo | Ceylon Board President`s XI by 6 wickets |
| 1965-66 | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo | Drawn |
| 1966-67 | Chepauk Stadium, Madras | Drawn |
| 1967-68 | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo | Ceylon Board President`s Under-27s XI by 105 runs |
| 1968-69 | Chepauk Stadium, Madras | Drawn |
| 1969-70 | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo | Drawn |
| 1970-71 | Chepauk Stadium, Madras | Drawn |
| 1971-72 | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Tamil Nadu by an innings and 9 runs |
| 1972-73 | Chepauk Stadium, Madras | Tamil Nadu by 3 runs |
| 1973-74 | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo | Drawn |
| 1974-75 | Mahatma Gandhi Stadium, Salem | Tamil Nadu by an innings and 73 runs |
| 1975-76 | Colombo Cricket Club Ground, Colombo | Sri Lanka Board President`s XI by 22 runs |
| 1976-77 | Chepauk Stadium, Madras | Drawn |
| 1980-81 | Mahatma Gandhi Stadium, Salem | Drawn |
| 1982-83 | P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo | Drawn |
| 2000-01 | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Drawn |
| 2001-02 | Chepauk Stadium, Madras | Drawn |
| 2007-08 | Colts Cricket Club Ground, Colombo | Sri Lanka Cricket XI by an innings and 96 runs |