Ranji Trophy: Ticket collector Ravi Singh on the right track

Ravi Singh, a 25-year-old ticket collector working in Howrah, averages 58.2 after seven Ranji Trophy innings for Railways, The Hindu reported. The hard-hitting batsman, who has a penchant for striking big in the shorter formats, has adjusted quickly to First-Class cricket despite being new to its rigours. He was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for 95 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction. His first IPL season was cut short due to an injury after just one game, but he remains a vital cog in Railways’ wheels. Singh spoke at the MAC Stadium on Saturday, two days ahead of the Ranji game against Tamil Nadu.

Background and career path

Ravi Singh shifted from Varanasi to Lucknow to hone his skills under coach Saurabh Dubey, though he could not quite break into the senior Uttar Pradesh set-up. Once he landed a Railways job, his career finally picked up. “After playing well for the under-23 side, I was called to the National Cricket Academy [now Centre of Excellence]. The Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare tournaments went quite well for me. Some of those matches were broadcast and the selectors at a higher level watched them. I was called for IPL trials, and, after seven or eight years of not playing anything [significant], things suddenly started falling my way,” Ravi said at the MAC Stadium on Saturday, two days ahead of the Ranji game against Tamil Nadu.

IPL experience and preparation

Singh said he was mentally prepared to face Jofra Archer in the nets and worked on learning the skill sets required to succeed at the highest level. “Before facing Archer for the first time, I kept thinking ‘he’s such a renowned bowler and bowls so fast’. But by the time I went to bat, I was ready for the first ball and had correctly anticipated it was going to be a fast bouncer. “I am quite close to Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Since they have been consistently playing high-level cricket, I try to understand how they deliver strong performances in tough conditions. That way, I will know how to navigate them.”

About the Ranji Trophy

The Ranji Trophy is an annual domestic first-class cricket championship played in India. It is organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, and teams representing the various member associations of the BCCI take part in the tournament. In the 2025–26 season, the competition was contested by 38 teams, including at least one team from each of the 28 states and four of the eight union territories. The matches are held across various cricket grounds and stadiums in India. The 2025–26 Ranji Trophy was the 91st season of the tournament. It took place from 15 October 2025 to 28 February 2026. Vidarbha were the defending champions. Jammu and Kashmir defeated Karnataka in the final to win their maiden Ranji title.

What happens next

The 2026–27 Ranji Trophy is the 92nd season of the tournament. It is scheduled to take place from 11 October 2026 to 3 March 2027. This tournament is part of the 2026–27 Indian Domestic Cricket Season, announced by the BCCI in June 2026. Jammu and Kashmir are the defending champions. Singh’s journey has just started.

Key figures for Ravi Singh

Related on Apex Sports News

• Kerala completes innings win over Odisha in Ranji Trophy

Sources

• The Hindu

• Sportstar

• Photo: Ashwin Kumar from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)