Page 5 - Ranji Trophy

Ranji Trophy: Avesh's four wickets help MP to bowl out Vidarbha for 170

Avesh Khan-led Madhya Pradesh pace bowling unit hit right lengths on a pitch that offered enough carry to bowl out Vidarbha for a meagre 170 on day one to gain control of their Ranji Trophy semifinal match here on Saturday. Avesh (4/49) was the pick of MP bowlers, while receiving good support from Kulwant Khejroliya (2/38) and Venkatesh Iyer (2/28). Madhya Pradesh reached 47 for one in their first innings at close, and trail by 123 runs. The VCA Stadium deck wore such fine green tinge as MP employed spin for just 2.4 overs in a total of 56.4 overs they bowled on the day. Left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya, who dismissed last man Umesh Yadav, did the spinner's duty for a brief period. Other spinners in their ranks like offie Saransh Jain remained spectators of the proceedings. Vidarbha's feeble fight came through Karun Nair, who made 63 (105 balls, 9x4). India pacer Avesh gave MP a fine start to the match when he uprooted the stumps of opener Dhruv Shorey (13). Vidarbha lost wicke

Ranji Trophy 2023-24 Semi-Finals: Matches, timing, live streaming details

The two Ranji Trophy 2023-24 semi-finals will see Vidarbha face Madhya Pradesh at Nagpur while Mumbai will take on Tamil Nadu in Kurla from March 02, 2024. Matches can be live-streamed on Jiocinema

Thrilled to have Shreyas in team for Ranji semifinal: Mumbai skipper Rahane

Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane on Friday backed Shreyas Iyer to put the contractual turmoil behind him and deliver a punchy performance for the team in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Tamil Nadu, beginning here on Saturday. Shreyas along with Jharkhand's Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual central contracts after both the players skipped the Ranji matches of their respective teams in violation of BCCI's diktat. Shreyas sat out of Mumbai's quarterfinal against Baroda here while complaining of back pain. He's an experienced player. His contribution has been amazing whenever he turned up for Mumbai. We are thrilled to have him in our team for the semifinal, Rahane told the media here at the BKC Ground. Rahane said Shreyas would not require any extra motivation to do well for Mumbai against TN. I don't think he needs any encouragement or advice. He has always contributed with the bat for Mumbai, and him being around other players in the dressing room will also help the .

Ranji Trophy SF: Shreyas Iyer in spotlight as Mumbai take on Tamil Nadu

Out-of-favour India batter Shreyas Iyer will be motivated to prove a point and serve a timely reminder of his skillset as he gets back to domestic action when the record 41-time champions Mumbai take on Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy semifinal here on Saturday. Dropped from the Indian Test side and discarded from BCCI's list of contracted players after he did not make himself available for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal due to groin and back trouble, Iyer has recovered completely to join Mumbai for the key clash. Iyer would be key in Mumbai's scheme of things specially against Tamil Nadu's quality spin bowling, which has been one of their key weapons this season. Skipper R Sai Kishore (47 wickets) and fellow left-arm spinner S Ajith Ram (41) are perched atop the list of highest wicket-takers, against whom Iyer and Co. will have a great opportunity to make a strong statement. The semifinal promises to be an enthralling battle between Tamil Nadu's persistent and disciplined bowlers an

Ranji Trophy SF: Gritty Madhya Pradesh look to outwit formidable Vidarbha

A resolute Madhya Pradesh is faced with the daunting task of taming Vidarbha in their home ground, which the hosts have turned into an impregnable citadel this season, when the familiar foes clash in the Ranji Trophy semifinal here from Saturday. Two-time champions Vidarbha have played four matches at the VCA Stadium this season, and they have won three of them with the solitary defeat coming against Saurashtra. Those victories have come with convincing margins too seven wickets against Services, 115 runs against Haryana and 127 runs against Karnataka in the quarterfinals. The biggest strength of Vidarbha throughout this season has been the collective contribution of their batsmen. They have found different heroes in veteran Karun Nair (515 runs), import from Delhi Dhruv Shorey (496), top-order batter Atharva Taide (488) and skipper Akshay Wadkar (452). All of them have bailed them out of the woods on different occasions. The Nagpur pitch has often acted as an ally of the batters

Here's what Kotian and Deshpande said after scoring tons at no. 10 & 11

It is rare for a pair involving numbers 10 and 11 to be hitting first-class tons and rarer to have them adding 200 or more runs for the 10th wicket, yet fall agonisingly close to breaking a record. But for Mumbai's Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande, who hit their maiden tons and put on a stunning 232-run stand for the last wicket, there was no disappointment in missing out on the record in Ranji Trophy by just one run during their quarterfinal against Baroda. Kotian (120 not out) and Deshpande (123) pulverised the Baroda attack to enter record books here at the BKC Ground on Tuesday, but they narrowly missed overhauling the highest 10th-wicket stand between Ajay Sharma and Maninder Singh of 233 runs, for Delhi against Mumbai in the 1991-92 season. "I am happy; I was unbeaten. I had told Tushar that only 1-2 runs are left, he took a chance but we felt we had done something (in terms of records) at Nos 10 and 11," Kotian told PTI in an exclusive chat, sounding totally content with wh

'BCCI Ranji diktat..: State units agree with Rohit's 'hunger' comment

India skipper Rohit Sharma's assertion that Test opportunities should be only for those who show hunger for the format found resonance with state associations grappling with youngsters desperate to make a name in white-ball cricket but reluctant to grind it out in first-class games. With the advent of IPL, the club vs country debate has been raging for years now and Rohit's stern statement came at a time when two established names in Indian cricket -- Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan -- ignored a BCCI diktat to play Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, focussing instead on their IPL preparations. "Jin logon ko bhookh hai, hum unhi logon ko mauka denge (We will give opportunities to only those who are hungry)," Rohit declared on Monday after a series-clinching win over England in the fourth Test in Ranchi. "Agar hunger nahi hai to unko khila ke koi matlab nahi hai (There's no point in playing those who don't have the hunger)," he said. The hunger that he spoke about was there for everyone to se

Historic moment in Ranji: Deshpande-Kotian hits tons batting at no. 10 & 11

Kotian remained unbeaten on 120 from 129 balls with ten fours and four sixes, while Deshpande fell for 123 from 129 balls with ten fours and eight sixes

Ranji Trophy: Shreyas Iyer named in Mumbai squad for semis vs Tamil Nadu

Middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer was on Tuesday named in Mumbai's 16-member squad for the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Tamil Nadu starting on March 2. Mumbai qualified for the semifinals after their quarterfinal clash against Baroda ended in a draw at the BKC Ground, with the 41-time champions making it to the final four on the basis of first-innings lead. Lacking big runs and struggling with a back-related issue again, the 29-year-old Iyer was not named in India's squad for the last three Tests against England. Iyer, subsequently, also missed Mumbai's quarterfinal match along with all-rounder Shivam Dube. The timing of Iyer pulling out of the key Ranji clash coincided with BCCI secretary Jay Shah announcing that a directive will be issued to players to compulsorily play domestic matches. While Dube is on the mend having suffered a side strain issue, Iyer has recovered completely and will be available for the semifinal against Tamil Nadu. Mumbai squad: Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas I

Explained: Why Andhra Cricket Association initiated inquiry against Vihari

Following Vihari's announcement to not play for Andhra Pradesh any more, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA), in a press release said that they are going to launch an inquiry against the cricketer

Andhra Cricket Association initiates inquiry against Hanuma Vihari

The bitter spat between Hanuma Vihari and Andhra Cricket Association took a fresh turn as the state body on Monday announced an inquiry against the senior batter, who had accused the ACA of forcing him to resign from captaincy at the start of the ongoing season. Drama unfolded after Andhra's campaign in the Ranji Trophy ended in a defeat on Monday as Vihari announced that he will never play for the side due to "mistreatment" by the state association. Complaints were received from teammates, support staff and ACA administrators about Vihari's use of foul language and abusive behaviour. ACA will conduct a thorough inquiry into all complaints and the due course of action will be communicated, said the ACA in a media release. Vihari had also hit out at a reserve team-mate (son of a politician) who he alleged had asked his father to take action against him after the veteran player shouted at him during a match. ACA stated that it had received a complaint from the junior player about Vih

Ranji Trophy: Madhya Pradesh reach semis with thrilling win over Andhra

Anubhav Agarwal ran through Andhra's batting lineup with a superb six-wicket haul to propel Madhya Pradesh into the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy following a four-run victory over Andhra here on Monday. In a low-scoring quarterfinal played at the Holkar Stadium, bowlers ruled the roost for the majority of the contest and despite a spirited fight from the visiting side, Madhya Pradesh prevailed to make it to the final four. With this win, the 2021-22 champions Madhya Pradesh became the second team after Tamil Nadu to enter the semifinals. On what turned out to be the final day, Andhra were bowled out for a mere 165 chasing 170 to win on the fourth day. Resuming at 95/4 and with their senior batter Hanuma Vihari on strike with 75 runs more needed to win, Andhra were the more confident side but Agarwal led a stunning fightback once again for Madhya Pradesh. Having taken three wickets in the first innings to help Madhya Pradesh take a vital lead of 62 runs, Agarwal terrorised the And

I'll never play for Andhra again, lost my self-respect there: Hanuma Vihari

Lashing out at the Andhra Cricket Association for mistreatment, senior batter Hanuma Vihari on Monday said he will never play for the state again. Andhra's campaign in the on-going Ranji Trophy came to an end when they lost to Madhya Pradesh by four runs in the quarterfinals on Monday. Sad part is the association thinks that players have to listen to whatever they say and players are there because of them. I've decided that I'll never play for Andhra where I lost my self-respect. "I love the team. I love the way we're growing every season but the association doesn't want us to grow, Vihari wrote on Instagram. The middle-order batter, who has played 16 Tests for India, started the season as Andhra captain but stepped down after the first match against last year's runners-up Bengal. Ricky Bhui led the team for the rest of the season, and he now leads the season's run chart with 902 runs. At the time, Vihari attributed his decision to move away from leadership role due to personal .

Ranji Trophy: Sai rules again as Tamil Nadu outlasts Saurashtra to enter SF

Tamil Nadu skipper R Sai Kishore stole the spotlight, this time with the ball, as his four-wicket haul helped his side thrash Saurashtra by an innings and 33 runs on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal here on Sunday. As a result, TN became the first team to enter the semi-final this season, which will be played on March 2. Resuming at the overnight score of 300 for 6 in their first innings, TN managed to add just 38 more to their total, with Ajith Ram staying unbeaten on 23. However, TN managed to take a lead of 155 against Saurahstra's 183, thanks to some commendable knocks from Sai Kishore (60), Baba Indrajith (80) and Boopathi Kumar (65). It was a collective effort from the visiting bowling unit, with everyone chipping in with wickets, barring Prerak Mankad, who was the most economical of the lot (1.00). Chirag Jani claimed three. Saurashtra began their second innings on a nervous note, losing three wickets for 48 runs, with Sandeep Warrier getting two of their top-order

Ranji Trophy: Big boys Mumbai, Karnataka, TN, Saurashtra eye semis berth

After a month and half of topsy-turvy ride, eight teams have managed to steer themselves clear of other 24 contenders to enter the quarterfinals. Now, they are standing at a point of no return, as even the slightest slip can throw them out at the quarterfinals stage, beginning across India from Friday. There are familiar faces -- 41-time champions Mumbai, strong contenders Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, giant-killers Vidarbha and Baroda, the stonewalling Saurashtra besides Madhya Pradesh and Andhra, who are capable of springing a surprise or two. So, here's a closer look at the four last eight clashes. Mumbai vs Baroda ============= A depleted Mumbai will hope to make the most of their current form when they face Baroda here from Friday. Without middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who has been struggling for fitness, and star all-rounder Shivam Dube, who has been sidelined with a bilateral side strain, Mumbai have their task cut out against Baroda at the BKC Ground. While Dube could be

Essence of IPL seems to have been lost, says Manoj Tiwary after retirement

A day after his retirement from cricket, Bengal star Manoj Tiwary raised concerns over the IPL-centric approach of young cricketers and strongly advocated for greater emphasis on Ranji Trophy. The 38-year-old Tiwary, who served Bengal for about two decades and represented India in 12 ODIs and three T20Is, had recently posted on X that Ranji Trophy should be "scrapped" but did not elaborate on the subject as he was an active BCCI cricketer. He was fined 20 per cent of his match fee for that remark. He also had a Facebook live in the midst of the match where he said he would come out in the open after taking retirement. "I can observe that young players have adopted an IPL-centric mindset," Tiwary said, referring to central contracted players opting out of playing domestic cricket. "Those who don't play IPL often go to Dubai or other places whenever they find some free time. However, this trend is diminishing the significance of the prestigious Ranji Trophy. "Now, expressing any opi

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka qualify for Ranji Trophy quarterfinals from Group C

Tamil Nadu needed just seven overs to chase down an easy target and beat Punjab by nine wickets on the final day to top Group C and qualify for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals here on Monday. With six points from the easy win, TN topped the group with 28 points from seven matches. Karnataka, who drew with Chandigarh in Hubballi on Monday, also qualified for the quarterfinals as they finished second in the group with 27 points. Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner Sai Kishore (4/80) shone with the ball on Monday as he took four wickets to help his side bowl Punjab out for 231 in 64.2 overs. Punjab were following-on after they made 274 in their first innings in reply to Tamil Nadu's 435. Ajith Ram (3/52) and Pradosh Ranjan Paul (3/23) added one wicket each to their two on Sunday as Punjab added just 51 runs from 24.2 overs for the loss of six wickets in their second innings. Punjab began the final day at 180 for 4. Needing just 71 runs for an outright win, Tamil Nadu reached the target in j

Ranji Trophy: Vidarbha beat Haryana by 115 runs, qualify for knockout stage

Spin bowling all-rounder Aditya Sarwate produced another impressive show as Vidarbha registered a comfortable 115-run win over Haryana on the fourth and final day to qualify for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals from group A, here Monday. Vidarbha (33) grabbed six points from what was their fifth win in the tournament to finish on top of Group A and were followed by Saurashtra (29). Sarwate, who had scored 99 in the first innings, made a valuable 42 in the second essay to help Vidarbha add 92 runs to their overnight total of 113/4. They set the visitors a victory target of 296 after being dismissed for 205 in 71.4 overs. Vidarbha then dished out a superlative bowling effort with left-arm spinner Sarwate also starring with the ball, taking two wickets for 38 runs to go with his first-innings figures of 3/59. Off-spinner Akshay Wakhare (3/30) snapped three as the hosts bundled out Haryana for 180 in 34.3 overs. Pacer Umesh Yadav (2/37), Aditya Thakare (1/47) and Yash Thakur (1/21) wer

Ranji Trophy: Saurashtra secure quarters berth after innings win vs Manipur

Saurashtra's veteran left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja bagged his 22nd five-wicket haul as the defending champions scored an innings and 243-run victory against Manipur to move into the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals from Group A here on Sunday. Saurashtra's victory was a foregone conclusion on day two itself when they had reduced Manipur to 55/3 in their second innings on Saturday, and the task was completed by the 33-year-old Jadeja, who bagged a five-for on day three as the visitors slumped to a big defeat at the Sanosara Cricket Ground. Manipur had made 142 in the first innings batting first, and following that Saurashtra had declared their lone innings at a mammoth 529/6. Manipur then folded up at 144 in 51.5 overs in their second essay to hand over the hosts the victory with a bonus point. Besides Jadeja (5/55), Yuvrajsinh Dodiya (3/51) and India white-ball pacer Chetan Sakariya (2/28) too contributed the the big win. The difference in class between Saurashtra and Manipur w

Ishan Kishan skips Ranji Trophy: Here's what he is doing ahead of IPL 2024

The Mumbai Indians wicket-keeper batter will be representing the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the upcoming Dy Patil T20 tournament