India, March 1 -- For decades, the Ranji Trophy's story was often told through a few familiar centres. Mumbai (then Bombay) built a legacy so overwhelming that it became the benchmark for domestic dominance, while teams like Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu repeatedly shaped the knockout picture across eras. That history still matters, and any attempt to read modern Ranji without it would be incomplete.

But the current tournament tells a broader story, too. The data from recent seasons suggests that Indian domestic red-ball strength is no longer concentrated in just a handful of traditional power centres. The better way to frame it is not that the old powers have faded, but that the field around them has become deeper, stronger and harder...