The Ranji Trophy, 1988-89 was organised with great enthusiasm and all the participating teams showed some great cricketing skills, while competing with each other in the tournament. There were a number of 27 teams participated in the tournament and the teams were coming from all the parts of India. The teams were divided into five different zones by the organisers of the tournament, the BCCI, and the teams first took part in the zonal level league matches and then in the knock out level of the tournament. The teams included the likes of Assam, Baroda, Bengal, Bihar, Bombay, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Railways, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Services, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and the Vidarbha.

Ranji Trophy 1988-89, Central Zone League Matches: The teams that participated under the Central Zone in the Ranji Trophy, 1988-89 were mainly representing different states from the Central region of India. All the teams were the regular participants in the tournament and they included the likes of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha and Railways. All the teams played against each other in the zonal level league matches for becoming one of the top two teams in the zone and also to secure a birth in the knock out level of the tournament. However, it was the teams like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh that eventually became successful to do so from the zone, as both the teams earned 54 points from the zonal level league matches.

Ranji Trophy 1988-89, East Zone League Matches: All the regular 5 teams like Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Tripura and Bengal participated under the East Zone in the Ranji Trophy, 1988-89 and the teams were mainly representing different states from the Eastern region of India. The teams took part in the zonal level league matches and competed with each other with a view of becoming one of the top two teams in the zone. They also had an objective to get a chance for competing with the top teams of the other zones in the knock out level of the tournament, for the prestigious championship title. However, the teams like Bengal and Orissa eventually got into the knock out level from the East Zone, as they earned total of 65 and 56 points, at the end of the zonal level league matches.

Ranji Trophy 1988-89, North Zone League Matches: The North Zone in the Ranji Trophy, 1988-89 was comprised of a number of 6 teams and all the teams were selected by the BCCI from the Northern region of India. All the teams had been playing in the tournament on a regular basis for the previous several editions and they included the likes of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, Punjab and Services. Though, all the teams tried their best to become the topper in the zone, only the teams like Delhi and Punjab eventually claimed the top two spots in the North Zone. The two teams earned total of 94 and 77 points form the zonal level league matches and they also competed with the top teams from the other zones in the knock out level, for the championship title.

Ranji Trophy 1988-89, South Zone League Matches: There were a number of 6 teams played against each other under the South Zone in the Ranji Trophy, 1988-89, the premium domestic cricket tournament in India. The teams were mainly representing different states from the Southern region of India and they included the likes of Kerala, Karnataka, Hyderabad, Andhra, Goa and Tamil Nadu. They fought with each other very hard for becoming one of the top two teams in the zone. Securing a birth in the knock out level of the tournament was also another principal objective of the teams and only the teams like Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad became successful to do so from the zone. The Tamil Nadu team earned 81 points and Hyderabad earned a total of 78 points, at the end of the zonal level league matches.

Ranji Trophy 1988-89, West Zone League Matches: 5 regular teams participated in the West Zone of the Ranji Trophy, 1988-89, one of the most prestigious domestic cricket tournaments in India. The teams included the likes of Baroda, Bombay, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Saurashtra and most of them were representing different states from the Western region of India. The zone saw all the teams competing with each other with a view to become one of the top two teams in the zone and also to secure a birth in the knock out level of the tournament. The teams like Maharashtra and Bombay eventually became the toppers in the zone and also entered into the knock out level. The Maharashtra team earned a total of 55 points and Bombay earned 46 points, at the end of the zonal level league matches.

Ranji Trophy 1988-89, Knock out Matches: The knock out level of the Ranji Trophy, 1988-89 that is well famous for being the premium domestic cricket tournament in India saw the participation of 10 teams. The BCCI allowed the top two teams from each and every zone to compete in the knock out matches of the Ranji Trophy, 1988-89 and they fought with each other very hard for winning the championship title. The teams included the likes of Maharashtra, Bombay, Bengal, Orissa, Hyderabad, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The teams played against each other in the Pre-Quarter-Finals, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final of the tournament. Though all the teams tried their best to win the coveted championship title, it was the Delhi team that eventually became successful to win the title.