DESCRIPTION:
*     The 2021–22 Ranji Trophy would be the 87th season of the the premier first-class cricket tournament in India.
*     The tournament will be split into two phases, with the league stage being played from 10 February to 15 March 2022, and the knockout phase played from 30 May to 26 June 2022.
*     Due to the delayed start of the tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic, teams were split into eight Elite groups, instead of five as per previous editions, and the Plate Group.
*     The 2021–22 Ranji Trophy Tournament will feature a total of 38 teams.
*     Teams have been divided into 9 groups (8 Elite Group and 1 Plate) to be played across 9 venues.
*     Odisha Cricket Association would host the matches for Elite Group-B, which comprises of Bengal, Baroda, Hyderabad & Chandigarh.
*     Matches in Odisha will be played in four venues _ Barabati Stadium, Cuttack; KIIT, Bhubaneswar; Vikash Cricket Ground, Bhubaneswar and DRIEMS Ground, Cuttack.
*     Odisha Senior Men team has been placed in Elite Group-D and would be playing their matches at Ahmedabad venue having pooled with Saurashtra, Mumbai and Goa.
*     All pre-quarterfinals will be four-day matches instead of a five-day affair.
*     According to the guidelines, each squad can have a maximum 30 players comprising a minimum of 20 players.
*     The number of support staff will be capped at a total of 10.
*     The 20 players will be eligible for match fees (playing XI will be eligible for 100 per cent while the remaining nine will be entitled for 50 per cent).
*     However, teams are permitted to carry two extra players as COVID reserves.

GROUPINGS:
Elite Group-A (In Rajkot): Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya
Elite Group-B (In Cuttack): Bengal, Baroda, Hyderabad, Chandigarh
Elite Group-C (In Chennai): Jammu-Kashmir, Karnataka, Puducherry, Railways
Elite Group-D (In Ahmedabad): Odisha, Goa, Mumbai, Saurashtra
Elite Group-E (In Trivandrum): Andhra Rajasthan, Services, Uttarakhand
Elite Group-F (In Delhi): Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Tripura
Elite Group-G (In Haryana): Assam, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha
Elite Group-H (In Guwahati): Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu
Plate Group (In Kokkata): Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim.

SCHEDULE OF ODISHA MATCHES:
First Round: February 17-20
Second Round: February 24-27
Third Round: March 3-6
Pre-quarterfinal: March 7-10