Having been called 'The Cricket Championship of India' in 1934–35, the tournament was rebranded in 1935 in honour of the late Kumar Sri Ranjitsinhji, known as Ranji.

[3] Matches were played from 4 November 1934 to 12 March 1935 and a total of 16 state and city teams participated.

Of the original 15, the Army team withdrew but there were two new members with Bengal and Rajputana (now Rajasthan) making their debuts.

Although the tournament ran in a knockout format, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) organised the teams by zone.

The sixteen teams are listed alphabetically by zone and the sides that won each zonal title are in bold.