The Irani Trophy was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy and took its name from ZR Irani, one of the driving forces in the early days of the Indian board and its treasurer for many years. The fixture is always played between the previous year's Ranji Trophy winners and the Rest of India Team. For several seasons it was played at the end of the season, but its popularity was such that it switched to become the curtain raiser for the start of the new domestic campaign.