Most matches ever played in Ranji Trophy history

Named for Maharaja Ranjitsinhji, the Ranji Trophy is India's most prestigious domestic tournament and the forerunner in first-class cricket. Many of the country's biggest talents on the international stage - both past and present, have found their fame in Ranji cricket - among them Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, S. Venkatraghavan and more.

Mumbai, known before the name change as Bombay, are the most successful team in Ranji history, taking the title more times than any other team in the history of Ranji.

Here's a look at the top teams in Ranji cricket in terms of the matches they have played.

500: Bombay/Mumbai

It's no surprise that Mumbai top this list. The most successful team in the long and rich 83-year history of the Ranji Trophy, the team have taken 41 titles - the most of any team in Ranji cricket.

Mumbai are one of three Ranji teams based in Maharashtra, with the Maharashtra team and Vidarbha.

Their success has sustained over decades and eras, with the side taking their most recent win in the 2015-2016 season.

Mumbai not only played the first ever edition of the Ranji Trophy, but won it, with Indian cricketing icon Vijay Merchant starring in that win. The western-Indian side have had somewhat of a hegemony over the title, and remain the only team to date to have taken a hat-trick of titles in Ranji, and held the title for a staggering fifteen consecutive years between 1958 and 1973, with rivals Karnataka taking the title that year to end Mumbai's streak.

They have also played in over half of every Ranji final ever played: at 46 of 83 total finals, Bombay - now Mumbai - have been in the finals in 55% of all Ranji finals held.

They have lost only five of those.

2017 might be a difficult time for the side, but they have long cemented their place in Ranji history.

438: Delhi

Ishant Sharma took over as Delhi skipper this year after Gambhir stepped down from captaincy

Delhi, like the Bombay/Mumbai Ranji team, has been around since the inception of the tournament in 1934.

The team have been seven-time winners of the tournament, most recently winning in the 2007-08 season. That win came after the long wait of a decade and a half, with the capital-based team enduring a dry spell since the early 1990s.

Delhi and Bombay have enjoyed quite the rivalry over the years, facing off in finals five times; it was quite a one-sided rivalry, however, with Bombay taking four of those wins.

Some of India's biggest-hitting names have played or are currently playing for Delhi, with Virender Sehwag and Indian cricketing icon Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi both among its past ranks.

One-time Indian skipper Gautam Gambhir is currently on the Delhi squad, as is Ishant Sharma.

Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishab Pant also find themselves on the squad.

Delhi are currently waging a battle against Karnataka, with Gambhir scoring an unbeaten 135 at stumps on Day 3; he has been the sole star of the innings so far.

430: Tamil Nadu

Ravichandran Ashwin currently represents TN under the captaincy of Abhinav Mukund

Two-time Ranji winners Tamil Nadu were not always known as the Tamil Nadu cricket team, carrying the name 'Madras' until the end of the 1971 season. After the state changed its name from Madras State to Tamil Nadu, the team quickly followed suit.

As Madras, they lost to Bombay two times in the finals of the Ranji Trophy - in 1935-36, and again in 1967-68. They also lost to Maharashtra in 1940-41.

They won one title as Tamil Nadu in the 1987-88 season, beating Railways for the trophy.

Ravichandran Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay and Abhinav Mukund are all part of the current team, while eminent cricketers S Venkatraghavan, K Srikkanth and Sadagopan Ramesh have all been on the team in the past.

425: Mysore/Karnataka

Vinay Kumar is the skipper of the Karnataka side

Similar to the Madras team changing its name to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka too was known as the Mysore Cricket Team until 1973.

Traditionally a strong team in Ranji history, Karnataka/Mysore have 8 titles to their name, and as Mysore were runners-up twice, losing both times to Bombay. As the newer Karnataka team, they have been runners-up four times; interestingly, the most recent of those - in the 2009-10 season, was also a loss to Mumbai.

Karnataka's Ranji team is famous for producing some of South India's finest cricketers - among them Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath.

The team has had quite a successful run in recent years, and in the past five years has taken two titles - in the 2013-14 season, and the 2014-15 season, both under the leadership of Vinay Kumar.

Among the capped players on the squad are Kumar himself, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey and Stuart Binny. Currently locked in a battle with Delhi in the latest Ranji season, Karnataka have been going great guns, with Mayank Agarwal and Stuart Binny excelling with the bat. The team's deep batting line-up has put them in a strong position in this year's Ranji season as well.

407: Hyderabad

Mohammad Siraj is perhaps Hyderabad's most recognizable name at the moment

Two-time Ranji champions Hyderabad have made a total of five finals in the prestigious first-class tournament, with the most recent of their wins coming in the 1986-87 tournament.

Hyderabad won the third ever edition of the 1934-founded Ranji Trophy in 1937-38, and like Delhi, have historically struggled coming up against Bombay in the tournament.

They most recently made the finals in the 1999-2000 edition of the tournament, losing out to Mumbai.

Fast bowler Mohammad Siraj, who recently received a call-up to the Indian T20I side for the series against New Zealand after doing well at IPL 2017, is on the Hyderabad team and arguably its biggest name at present.

Hyderabad has a rich history of batsmen, however, with VVS Laxman, former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, and MAK Pataudi all featuring on the side in past years.

Karnataka put paid to Hyderabad's Ranji hopes in the teams' Group A match late last month.

402: Bengal

Manoj Tiwary has played well to keep his team fighting

Another of the legacy teams of Ranji, Bengal were runners-up in season 3 of the Ranji Trophy, with Nawanagar taking the trophy that year.

The team took its first Ranji Trophy title in the 1938-39 season with a win over Southern Punjab - that was one of the only two titles that Bengal has ever taken in Ranji, with the other coming in the 1989-90 season, just over 50 years later.

But that statistic by no means translates into the team being a weak one. Bengal have made the finals thirteen times - meaning they are 11-time runners-up at the tournament.

Arguably the most famous name today from Bengal cricket is former skipper Sourav Ganguly, while Wriddhiman Saha, Ashoke Dinda and Mohammad Shami all feature on the current squad.

Bengal struggled - and tumbled - to Vidarbha in the teams' Group D Ranji Match this season but did well against Himachal Pradesh early this month.