Challenger series is played with the purpose of show-casing the talent that the country has, as well as providing opportunities to younger players to make an impression. The tournament is played in October before the start of Ranji season.
From 1998-99 the tournament was known as the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, named after former Board of Control for Cricket in India president NKP Salve - the man who brought the World Cup to the sub-continent in 1987. The tournament was not played in 2002-03
The annual tournament is played between three sides made up 36 of the best players in India. The three teams were India Senior and India A & India B. Team names were changed for the 2006 version of this tournament. India Seniors became India Blue and India A and India B became India Red and India Green, respectively. India Senior have won 7 times including the 2005-06 edition.
The Challenger Series gained popularity in the 2005-06 edition as it featured the comeback of Sachin Tendulkar from injury. He lost his wicket to 16-year-old Piyush Chawla.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1994-95 | India Seniors |
| 1995-96 | India Seniors |
| 1996-97 | India Seniors |
| 1997-98 | India Seniors |
| 1998-99 | India A / India B |
| 1999-00 | India Seniors |
| 2000-01 | India Seniors |
| 2001-02 | India A |
| 2002-03 | Not played |
| 2003-04 | India A |
| 2004-05 | India A |
| 2005-06 | India Seniors |
| 2006-07 | India Blue / India Red |
| 2007-08 | India Blue |
| 2008-09 | India Blue |
| 2009-10 | India Red |
| 2010-11 | India Blue |
| 2011-12 | India Red / India Green |
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