The season 2008–09 of the Ranji Trophy began on 4 November, and finished on 16 January with the final.

Four top teams of the plate group league qualified for the playoffs.

[1] Uttar Pradesh advanced to the final, also by virtue of a first-innings lead, over Tamil Nadu.

In reply to the latter's first innings total of 445, Uttar Pradesh's Shivakant Shukla, who made an unbeaten 178 in 569 balls and 821 minutes, helped his team go past the score securing a qualification for the final.

Parvinder Singh, who scored his maiden first-class century, and Shukla batted for a total of five-and-half-hours, and added 272 runs for the fourth wicket.