There were a number of 5 teams played against each other under the South Zone of the Ranji Trophy, 1981-82 and the teams included the likes of Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad, Kerala, Andhra and Karnataka. The teams were coming from the Southern region of India and they were also the regular participants in the tournament. The teams clashed with each other with a view to become one of the top two teams in the zone and also to get a chance in the knock out level of the tournament. The teams like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka eventually became the toppers in the zone, as they earned total 27 and 26 points, respectively, after the completion of the zonal level league matches.

The South Zone league matches in the Ranji Trophy, 1981-82 started with the match between the teams of Karnataka and Kerala and the match was held at Davanegere from 10-12 October, 1981. The Karnataka team got a very good start in the tournament, as it won the match with a huge margin of 10 wickets for earning the entire 9 points. The second match of the zone saw a clash between the teams of Hyderabad and Andhra at Kothagudem from 13-15 November, 1981. The Hyderabad team played wonderfully in the match and it earned 8 valuable points by clinching a victory of 134 runs. The teams of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu played against each other in the third match of the zone and the match took place at Bangalore from 13-15 November, 1981. The match remained drawn during the stipulated duration and the match officials awarded the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka teams 5 and 3 points, respectively for the match.

The Karnataka team appeared in the fourth of the South Zone league matches in the Ranji Trophy, 1981-82 also and this time, it played against the Hyderabad team at Nizamabad from 21-23 November, 1981. The drawn match saw the Karnataka team earning 5 points and Hyderabad earning 3 points from it. The next match of the South Zone involved the teams like Andhra and Tamil Nadu and the two teams played the match at Vijayawada from 18-20 December, 1981. Playing very well in the match, the Tamil Nadu team clinched a victory of 132 runs for earning 8 valuable points from the match. The clash between the teams of Kerala and Hyderabad took place in the next match of the zone at Tellicherry from 03-05 January, 1982. The winner of the match was the Hyderabad team with a very good margin of 8 wickets and the team earned the full 9 points from the match, as well.

There was a clash between the teams of Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad in the seventh of the South Zone league matches in the Ranji Trophy, 1981-82 and the match was organised at Coimbatore from 08-10 January, 1982. The Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad teams earned 5 and 3 points, respectively from the match, as it remained drawn during the specified period of time. The next match of the zone was played between the teams of Kerala and Andhra and the two teams played the match at Tellicherry from 09-11 January, 1982. The Kerala team earned 8 valuable points from the match, by winning it with a good margin of 71 runs. The Kerala team appeared in the next match of the zone also and this time, it played against the Tamil Nadu team at Madras from 21-23 January, 1982. The match saw the Tamil Nadu team earning the entire 9 points from it, as the team clinched a victory of 239 runs. The last of the South Zone league matches in the Ranji Trophy, 1981-82 involved the teams like Andhra and Karnataka and the match was held at Vizianagaram from 23-25 January, 1982. The Karnataka team won the match by 6 wickets for earning the entire 9 points.