# 1945–46 Ranji Trophy

The 1945–46 Ranji Trophy was the 12th season of the Ranji Trophy. Holkar won the title defeating Baroda in the final.

## Highlights

* Holkar scored 912 for 8 decl against Mysore in the semifinal. This was the highest score in Indian first class cricket until Hyderabad made 944 for 6 against Andhra in 1993–94.
   * Six batsmen scored hundreds for Holkar: Kamal Bhandarkar 142, Chandu Sarwate 101, Madhavsinh Jagdale 164, C. K. Nayudu 101, Bhausaheb Nimbalkar 172 and Rameshwar Pratap Singh 100. This has never been equalled.
   * There were seven century partnerships in the Holkar innings. All wickets from one to eight, except the second, made more than 100 runs.
   * B. K. Garudachar took 4 wickets for 301. This is the most expensive bowling in Indian cricket, and third most expensive in all first-class cricket.
   * Chandu Sarwate took 9 for 61 in the Mysore first innings in addition to his hundred. It is the only instance of a century and nine wickets in an innings in Indian cricket.
   * Mysore conceded defeat on the fourth day.
* Baroda won the Zonal finals and the Semifinals by the spin of a coin, as both matches were unable to produce a winner. The Zonal finals were drawn with the first innings incomplete, while their semifinal ended in a tie.
* Vijay Merchant averaged 405.00 with the bat (405 in two innings, once out). This is the highest batting average achieved for any Ranji season.
* C. K. Nayudu scored 200 for Holkar v Baroda in the final at the age of 50 years and 142 days. He is the oldest Indian cricketer to score a double hundred and the fifth oldest in all first class cricket after Dave Nourse, John King, Archie MacLaren and Jack Hobbs.

## Zonal Matches
### South Zone

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 14 Dec 1945 – Bangalore | 14 Dec 1945 – Bangalore |
| Mysore | 158 & 292 |
| Mysore | 158 & 292 | 26 Jan 1946 – Bangalore | 26 Jan 1946 – Bangalore |
| Madras | 172 & 166 | 26 Jan 1946 – Bangalore | 26 Jan 1946 – Bangalore |
| Madras | 172 & 166 | Mysore | 188 & 309 |
| 21 Dec 1945 – Nagpur | 21 Dec 1945 – Nagpur | | Mysore | 188 & 309 |
| 21 Dec 1945 – Nagpur | 21 Dec 1945 – Nagpur | Hyderabad | 176 & 220 |
| Central Provinces and Berar | 154 & 127 | Hyderabad | 176 & 220 |
| Hyderabad | 399 | | |

### West Zone

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| | | 25 Jan 1946 – Bombay | 25 Jan 1946 – Bombay | | |
| | | Bombay | 560/5d | |
| 29 Dec 1945 – Karachi | 29 Dec 1945 – Karachi | | Bombay | 560/5d | |
| 29 Dec 1945 – Karachi | 29 Dec 1945 – Karachi | Sind | 234 & 306 | |
| Sind | 416 & 61/1 | Sind | 234 & 306 | |
| Sind | 416 & 61/1 | | | | 9 Feb 1946 – Bombay | 9 Feb 1946 – Bombay |
| Maharashtra | 258 & 250/9d | | | | 9 Feb 1946 – Bombay | 9 Feb 1946 – Bombay |
| Maharashtra | 258 & 250/9d | | | | Bombay | 645 |
| 19 Dec 1945 – Jamnagar | 19 Dec 1945 – Jamnagar | | | | | Bombay | 645 |
| 19 Dec 1945 – Jamnagar | 19 Dec 1945 – Jamnagar | | | | Baroda (T) | 465/6 |
| Baroda | 328 & 363/5d | | | | Baroda (T) | 465/6 |
| Baroda | 328 & 363/5d | 2 Feb 1946 – Baroda | 2 Feb 1946 – Baroda | | | |
| Nawanagar | 218 & 138/8 | 2 Feb 1946 – Baroda | 2 Feb 1946 – Baroda | | | |
| Nawanagar | 218 & 138/8 | Baroda | 243 & 277 | | | |
| 14 Dec 1945 – Rajkot | 14 Dec 1945 – Rajkot | | Baroda | 243 & 277 | | | |
| 14 Dec 1945 – Rajkot | 14 Dec 1945 – Rajkot | Western India | 215 & 104/8 | |
| Western India | 199 & 158 | Western India | 215 & 104/8 | |
| Gujarat | 164 & 190 | | | |
(T) – Advanced to next round by spin of coin.

### East Zone

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 |
| 20 Dec 1945 – Kanpur | 20 Dec 1945 – Kanpur |
| United Provinces | 99 & 221 |
| United Provinces | 99 & 221 | 19 Jan 1946 – Calcutta | 19 Jan 1946 – Calcutta |
| Bengal | 126 & 239 | 19 Jan 1946 – Calcutta | 19 Jan 1946 – Calcutta |
| Bengal | 126 & 239 | Bengal | 119 & 266 |
| 15 Dec 1945 – Indore | 15 Dec 1945 – Indore | | Bengal | 119 & 266 |
| 15 Dec 1945 – Indore | 15 Dec 1945 – Indore | Holkar | 288 & 102/5 |
| Holkar | 433 | Holkar | 288 & 102/5 |
| Bihar | 142 & 104 | | |

### North Zone

| Round 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 2 | | Round 3 | Round 3 |
| | | 10 Jan 1946 – Patiala | 10 Jan 1946 – Patiala | | |
| | | Southern Punjab | 472 | |
| 28 Dec 1945 – Delhi | 28 Dec 1945 – Delhi | | Southern Punjab | 472 | |
| 28 Dec 1945 – Delhi | 28 Dec 1945 – Delhi | Delhi | 181 & 98 | |
| Delhi | 91 & 203/7 | Delhi | 181 & 98 | |
| Delhi | 91 & 203/7 | | | | 7 Feb 1946 – Patiala | 7 Feb 1946 – Patiala |
| North West Frontier Province | 141 & 150 | | | | 7 Feb 1946 – Patiala | 7 Feb 1946 – Patiala |
| North West Frontier Province | 141 & 150 | | | | Southern Punjab | 658/8d |
| | | | | | Northern India | 250 |
| | | 2 Feb 1946 – Rajputana | 2 Feb 1946 – Rajputana | | | |
| | | Rajputana | 220 & 114 | | | |
| | | Northern India | 212 & 125/1 | |

## Inter-Zonal Knockout matches

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| 2 Mar 1946 – Indore | 2 Mar 1946 – Indore |
| Holkar | 912/8d |
| Holkar | 912/8d | 22 Mar 1946 – Indore | 22 Mar 1946 – Indore |
| Mysore | 190 & 509/6 | 22 Mar 1946 – Indore | 22 Mar 1946 – Indore |
| Mysore | 190 & 509/6 | Holkar | 342 & 273 |
| 4 Mar 1946 – Patiala | 4 Mar 1946 – Patiala | | Holkar | 342 & 273 |
| 4 Mar 1946 – Patiala | 4 Mar 1946 – Patiala | Baroda | 198 & 361 |
| Southern Punjab | 167 & 146 | Baroda | 198 & 361 |
| Baroda (T) | 106 & 207 | | |
(T) – Advanced to finals by spin of coin.

## Final

* 22–27 March 1946 Scorecard
* Holkar won by 106 runs Yeshwant Club Ground, Indore Umpires: Jamshed Patel and T. A. Ramachandran
* Holkar won the toss and decided to bat

## Scorecards and averages

* CricketArchive