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India batter KL Rahul struck his 24th hundred in first-class cricket to anchor Karnataka's brilliant four-wicket victory over 42-time champions Mumbai that steered the southern side into the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy here on Monday. Rahul made 130 off 182 balls with the help 14 boundaries and a six to set up Karnataka's win in their quarterfinal fixture at the Mumbai Cricket Association Bandra Kurla Complex here. The visitors were chasing a steep 325. The win meant Karnataka would face Uttarakhand in the semifinal in Bengaluru next week. Rahul, who is a prominent member of the Indian Test and ODI squads, found an able ally in Ravichandran Smaran, as the duo stitched together a match-winning partnership of 147 runs for the fourth wicket on the game's penultimate day. Smaran remained not out on a composed 83 off 123 ball, and struck 11 fours. Thanks to Rahul's knock, Karnataka, the eight-time winners of India's premier domestic red-ball tournament, were cruising at 265 or three
Fuelled by pacer Auqib Nabi's heroics, Jammu & Kashmir stormed into the Ranji Trophy semifinals for the first time since their maiden appearance 67 years ago with a 56-run win over former champions Madhya Pradesh here on Monday. The 29-year-old pacer stole the show with a career-best 12-wicket haul, making a strong case for national team selection after a remarkable season in which he has delivered match-winning performances across formats. Set 291 for victory, 2021-22 season winners Madhya Pradesh were dismissed for 234, paving the way for Jammu & Kashmir to march into the last four stage, where they will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between Andhra and Bengal. Jammu & Kashmir last made the Ranji knockouts six years ago. The other semifinal pits Uttarakhand against Karnataka. It was Auqib who once again emerged as the wrecker-in-chief, adding 5/70 to his first-innings heroics of 7/40 to finish with a dozen wickets for just 110 runs. Madhya Pradesh, reeling at .
Bihar capitalised on opener Piyush Singh's magnificent second-innings double century and incisive bowling spells from Suraj Kashyap and Himanshu Singh to hammer Manipur by a massive 568 runs in the Plate final, sealing a triumphant return to the Ranji Trophy Elite Group on Monday. Bihar, whose Ranji Trophy journey has been marked by turbulence, had briefly broken into the Elite Group in the 2022-23 season before slipping back to the Plate Group in 2024-25. Now restored to the top tier, they are pressing ahead with a rebuilding phase under skipper Sakibul Gani, anchored by the promise of teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi. On Monday, Bihar set Manipur an improbable target of 764 after Raghuvendra Pratap Singh fell agonisingly short of a century, dismissed for his overnight score of 90, prompting the declaration of the second innings at 505 for 6. Bihar, who had scored 522 in the first innings and then dismissed Manipur for 264, got rid of their opponents for 195 in the seco
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Saturday clobbered nearly half a dozen sixes including five in an over on way to a 93-ball 133, for Baroda against Vidarbha in their Vijay Hazare Trophy contest here. Pandya hit an overall 11 sixes and eight fours to turn the tables on Vidarbha, who had taken control of the game by reducing Baroda to 71 for five at one stage and then 136 for six in the first half. However, batting as low as No 7 in his first match of the competition, Pandya came out all guns blazing to bring up his maiden List A century in his 119th match, taking Baroda to a competitive total of 293 for nine in their 50 overs. In the 39th over, Pandya went after Vidarbha spinner Parth Rekhade to collect a total of 34 runs which included five sixes and a four. The first five balls of the left-arm spinner went flying over the ropes while the final ball was hit for a boundary. Pandya's innings included only 31 singles as he launched the counter-attack, hitting most of his sixes in t
Out-of-favour India pacer Mohammed Shami, who has been in impressive form on the domestic circuit with 36 wickets across formats, has been named in Bengal's squad for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day competition. Shami, who has not played for India for a while and was overlooked for the recent series against South Africa, has enjoyed a strong return to competitive cricket for Bengal following a lengthy injury lay-off. Shami's fitness has been a subject of debate in recent times after the pacer missed out on selection. However, despite the absence of a national call-up, the senior fast bowler has been a standout performer in domestic tournaments. Beginning with the red-ball season, Shami picked up 20 wickets from four Ranji Trophy matches at an average of 18.60, including a 5/38, as Bengal remain unbeaten from five outings after securing three outright wins to sit atop Group C. He carried his form into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, finishing as Bengal's leading wicket-taker