Formerly known as Rajputana, the Association was renamed as Rajasthan Cricket Association after the formation of the State of Rajasthan in 1956. Headed by Bhagwat Singh Mewar till 1972, it was controlled by the Rungta family from 1972 till 2004. Promulgation of a Sports legislation by the Government of Rajasthan resulted in Lalit Modi beating Rungta in the first contested election ever in 2005. The credit for turning around the fortunes of RCA goes to the former IPL chief Lalit Modi. He created an infrastructure in Jaipur that was world-class. Not just the stadium but also the cricket academy which has the finest indoor nets facility since 2005. Changing political equations saw Lalit Modi lose by a wafer-thin margin to Sanjay Dixit in 2009. The Association was headed by CP Joshi as President and Sanjay Dixit as the Secretary. Lalit Modi won the elections again in 2013 but legal disputes have marred his team's functioning in the last 2 years. Rajasthan Cricket Association created history in 2011 when its Rajasthan cricket team won the Ranji Trophy for the first time in the 77-year history of the tournament by beating Baroda on 15 January 2011 at Vadodara. They followed it up with another title win in the 2011/12 seasons. Prior to this Rajasthan had finished runners-up eight times between 1960 and 1974. Rajasthan had always been a formidable team in the domestic championships. Under the patronage of the erstwhile rulers of the Rajputana states both in pre-independence and even at times after that, Rajasthan cricket team always did well in Ranji Trophy.
2016
The Rajasthan Cricket Association offered to host select matches of IPL 2016 after the Bombay High Court ruled that all IPL matches scheduled to be played in Maharashtra be moved out of the state. The Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur was primed and ready to host select matches. But due to reasons unknown, no IPL match was allotted to the state of Rajasthan. In a move to honor and help former Ranji players who have represented Rajasthan in the past, the RCA declared a monthly pension scheme for former players wherein players who have played five to 14 matches will be given Rs. 5,000 per month while players who have represented Rajasthan in 15 to 24 games, will be given an amount of Rs. 7,500. The Board of Control for Cricket in India gives monthly pension to players who have played at least 25 first-class games, hence this decision from the RCA comes as a godsend for former Rajasthan players who haven't represented their state in 25 first-class matches.
RCA President, Lalit Modi is set to provide a much-needed boost to cricket in Rajasthan by organizing a T20 league in the state which gives local Rajasthan cricketers an opportunity to play with and against top-quality international players of repute. The Rajasthan Premier League is set to attract recently retired international cricketers to the tournament in addition to the best talent the state of Rajasthan has to offer.
