It's IPL season. Now in its 18th year, the Indian Premier League — the world's most popular and richest cricket tournament — is a testament to India's maddening cricket mania. It's hard to imagine a time when cricket wasn't a larger-than-life phenomenon in India, but there was such a time. India's love for cricket, though it may not have an end, had a beginning — and it began with a man named Ranji.

Colonel Kumar Sri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, better known as KS Ranjitsinhji, Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, or simply Ranji, was a distant relative of the ruler of Nawanagar, a princely state in the historical Halar region, on the southern shores of the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat. Raised as a potential heir to Vibhaji, the Jamsahib (ruler) of Nawanagar, he was schooled at the Rajkumar College in Rajkot — one of the oldest K-12 institutions in India — where he was introduced to cricket at the age of 10 or 11. He first represented the school in 1883 and became the captain of the school team the following year.

Impressed by Ranji's potential, Chester Macnaghten, the principal of Rajkumar College, took him to London in 1888 and arranged for him to stay with the chaplain of Trinity College, Cambridge, and prepare for the entrance exam. But Ranji was not interested in pursuing higher education. In 1889, he joined the Cambridgeshire Country Cricket Club and began playing cricket seriously. Over the next few seasons, he was successful enough to represent represent the county and began training with first-class professional cricketer Daniel Hayward. During this time, he developed the leg glance — a highly unorthodox shot at the time. In the 1892 season, he scored a remarkable 2,000 runs, including at least nine centuries, with his improved technique.

In 1893, Ranji finally received his cricket "Blue" — making his first-class debut for the Cambridge University team. He played exceptionally well during that season, netting a batting average of 29.90 with five scores over 40. After a dry spell in 1894, he debuted for Sussex in the 1895 season and scored 77 not out in his first innings, taking six wickets, and scored his maiden first-class century in England in the second innings. He scored 150 runs in 155 minutes and impressed the crowd with his batting.

His impressive run continued for the rest of the season, scoring centuries against Middlesex and Nottinghamshire in difficult conditions. By the end of the season, he had scored 1,775 runs at an average of 49.31, placing him fourth in the national averages.

Ranji's stellar form continued into the 1896 season and he impressed crowds and critics with several large innings against Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. By June, he became the first amateur to reach 1,000 runs in the season, scoring 79 and 42 against the Australian team touring England at the time. His performance earned him a spot in the English side and he became the first person of colour to play Test cricket for England on 16 July 1896 — overcoming racism and resistance. After a cautious 62 in his first innings against Australia, he scored an undefeated 154 in the second innings, becoming only the second England batsman after WG Grace to score a century on his Test debut.

In the 1897-98 seasons, Ranji toured Australia as part of the England team, and scored 175 in the first test. From then until 1902, he was a regular in the England side, scoring 989 runs in fifteen tests for his adopted country, at an average of 44.95. In 1899, he scored 3,159 runs with eight centuries at an average of 63.18, becoming the first batsman to score over 3,000 runs in first-class cricket.

Ranji's cricket career peaked in the 1900 season. After a slow start in cold weather, he hit scores of 97, 127, 222 and 215 not out, followed by 192 a week later. His final aggregate that season was 3,065 runs at an average of 87.57, which placed him at the top of the national averages. During this time, Ranji's name became virtually synonymous with Sussex and his close friend, CB Fry. He led the county for five years between 1899 and 1903, but returned to India in 1904 to claim the throne of Nawanagar. He would return to England to play only two more seasons in 1908 and 1912, again passing 1000 runs each time.

Today, he is known as the 'Father of Indian Cricket' for his lasting impact on India's legacy as a cricketing nation. Although he was never associated with the fledgling BCCI during his life, his impressive cricketing career in England broke the glass ceiling for Indians playing cricket. At the peak of his career, he was considered "one of the most original stylists to have ever played the game" and invented or improved many modern cricketing shots like his signature leg glance, cross-batted cut shots, and drives. The Ranji Trophy — India's premier first-class domestic cricket tournament — was founded in 1934, the year after his death, and named after him in 1935.

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