Ranji: Mulani, Himanshu power Mumbai to big win!

Spinners Shams Mulani (5/71) and Himanshu Singh (4/77) wreaked havoc by sharing nine wickets between them as defending champions Mumbai crushed Odisha by an innings and 103 runs in their Elite Group A match in the Ranji Trophy, in Mumbai on Saturday.

Mulani was adjudged the Player of the Match for his impact in the outcome of the match. He snared 11 wickets in the game which the hosts dominated after piling up a massive 602 for four declared.

Odisha were shot out for 214 in the second innings after Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane imposed a follow-on. They could manage only 285 in their first essay.

Resuming at 126 for five on the final day, Odisha's hopes of delaying the inevitable were dashed by Mulani when he trapped wicketkeeper-batter Aashirwad Swain (51) soon after he completed his half-century.
The rest of the Odisha batters could not trouble the scorers much as their innings folded in a jiffy. Mumbai earn a bonus point for their outright win.

Shreyas Iyer's 233 and Siddhesh Lad's unbeaten 169 had powered Mumbai to a mammoth first innings total.

"The ball wasn't turning much in the first innings. I got most of my wickets caught in the first slip on the straighter ones. There wasn't much turn but Ajju da (Ajinkya Rahane) insisted that I must stick to my strengths," Himanshu told reporters after the game.

"Our captain is very calm. He made me understand that I must set my fields and allowed me to bowl freely. We make the strategies together, if our plans are not working then he brings his own ideas into play," he added.

Brief Scores:

Mumbai: 602/4 declared vs Odisha: 285 & 214 (Aashirwad Swain 51; Shams Mulani 5/71, Himanshu Singh 4/77). 

Saxena spins Kerala to innings win over UP; Bengal hold Karnataka; MP win

Veteran spinner Jalaj Saxena grabbed six wickets as Kerala outclassed Uttar Pradesh by an innings and 117 runs to keep themselves close to a knockout berth from Group C of the Ranji Trophy in Thumba, Kerala. 

Kerala now have 15 points and are placed second in the group behind Haryana (17), while UP are on fifth slot with five points after four rounds.

After most of the third day was interrupted by heavy rain and a leaky dressing room, Kerala were in no mood to wait for the mercy of the weather on the final day, bundling out UP, who resumed from overnight 66 for two, for 116.

Saxena-led Kerala bagged the remaining eight Uttar Pradesh wickets for a mere 50 runs to celebrate their second outright win of the season, and that too with a bonus point for an innings victory.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) apologised for the dressing room leakage fiasco.

“We deeply regret any inconvenience caused to players and officials and appreciate their understanding and patience.

“The KCA will assess and address the required improvements to enhance the infrastructure and withstand adverse weather events in the future,” the KCA informed through their X account.

Bengal hold Karnataka

Bengal earned three points from the draw against Karnataka by virtue of their first innings lead and moved up to fourth position on the table with eight points.

Once Bengal made 283 for five declared in their second innings to build an overall lead of 363 runs, the fate of the match was sealed.

Sudip Kumar Gharami made an unbeaten 101 (193b, 12x4, 2x6) and added 123 runs for the sixth wicket with Wriddhiman Saha (63 not out, 70b, 7x4, 1x6).

The home side made 110 for three before both the skippers agreed for a draw.

Karnataka are placed fourth on the table with 9 points and they will face UP in their next fixture.

Bengal will travel to Indore to take on Madhya Pradesh, who defeated Bihar by an innings and 108 runs to earn seven points to move up to third place on the ladder.

Though both have similar points, MP are in third place because of their better net run rate – +1.15 against Karnataka's +0.99.

Brief scores:

In Thumba: Uttar Pradesh 162 and 116 all out in 37.5 overs (Madhav Kaushik 36; Jalaj Saxena 6/41, Aditya Sarvate 3/15) lost to Kerala: 395 all out in 124.1 overs (Salman Nizar 93, Sachin Baby 83, Mohammed Azharuddeen 40; Aaqib Khan 3/51) by an innings 117 runs.

In Patna: Madhya Pradesh 616 beat Bihar: 347 and 161 all out in 60.5 overs (Sakibul Gani 76 not out, Vaibhav Suryavanshi 41; Kumar Kartikeya Singh 4/40, Kulwant Khejroliya 3/33) by an innings and 108 runs.

In Bengaluru: Bengal 301 and 283/5 declared in 81.4 overs (Sudip Kumar Gharami 101 not out, Wriddhiman Saha 63 not out; Vidyadhar Patil 3/53) drew with Karnataka 221 and 110/3 in 28 overs (R Smaran 35 not out, Manish Pandey 30 not out; Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 3/27).

Chandigarh crush Delhi by 9 wickets

Opener Shivam Bhambri made a mincemeat of spinners on a turner as Chandigarh shocked seven-time champions Delhi by nine wickets in a group D match to take a giant step towards clinching a spot in the Ranji Trophy knock-outs.

Chandigarh are on top of group D with 19 points from four games and the defeat put Delhi in a bit of a spot as they are now placed fourth with 11 points from four games.

Delhi have three matches left against Jharkhand, Saurashtra and Railways respectively with the first one being a home game.

On a track where Chandigarh's Nishunk Birla got 12 wickets, Delhi's spin troika of Shivank Vashist (0/48), Sumit Mathur (1/34) and Hrithik Shokeen (0/50) were found wanting with Chandigarh chasing down the target of 203 in 40.2 overs.

Bhambri followed his first innings 80 with an unbeaten 100 (130 balls) in what turned out to be a cakewalk of a chase. He added 130 for the opening wicket with Arsalan Khan (68 off 81 balls) and another 74 with veteran Manan Vohra (24 not out).

On a pitch where Delhi batters struggled, Chandigarh batters blasted 17 fours and nine sixes in all -- half a dozen of those being hit by Bhambri, who completed team's victory and his own milestone off Shokeen's eighth over.

Chandigarh had their nose ahead when they finished third day's play at 46 for no loss and with 157 to get on final day, it would have required far better effort from the two left-arm spinners Mathur and Vashist, who bowled too many loose deliveries to surrender the match.

Off-spinner Shokeen also failed to hit the right length.

If Delhi fail to qualify for the knock-outs, this match would come back to haunt them as non-selection of a gritty left-hander like Jonty Sidhu at the expense of Khsitiz Sharma would pose some uncomfortable questions.

Himmat Singh's form and captaincy is also under scanner as Yash Dhull could once again get back into leadership role.

Brief Scores:

In Chandigarh: Delhi 276 and 250 vs Chandigarh 324 and (target 203) 204/1 in 40.2 overs (Shivam Bhambri 100 not out, Arsalan Khan 68). Chandigarh won by 9 wickets.

In Ranchi: Jharkhand 306 and 283 (Anukul Roy 90, Sharandeep Singh 73, DS Jadeja 4/15) vs Saurashtra 386 and (target 204) 69/1. Match Drawn. Points Saurashtra 3 Jharkhand 1.

In Raipur: Chattisgarh 500/9 decl and 129/5 (Sanjeet Desai 51 not out, Yuvraj Singh 3/51) vs Railways 351 (Suraj Ahuja 135, Vivek Singh 86, Ravi Kiran 5/56). Match Drawn.

In Guwahati: Tamil Nadu 338 and 217/2 (N Jagadeesan 118, PR Paul 68) vs Assam 445. Match Drawn.

Dubey spins Vidarbha to big win over HP

Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey picked up five wickets in both innings to bowl Vidarbha to a thumping victory by an innings and 88 runs over Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Group B match in Nagpur on Saturday.

The win extends Nagpur's lead to a commanding seven points clear of Gujarat in the group, virtually securing them a second successive knockout berth. Vidarbha now have 25 points, while Gujarat have 18.

At their home ground, Vidarbha's task was merely to wrap things up after posting a mammoth 575 in their first innings, which had left Himachal Pradesh struggling.

Resuming their second innings at 51/2, Himachal Pradesh collapsed to 180 all out in 61.1 overs. Seamer Praful Hinge (2/27) made the first breakthrough, dismissing Mayank Dagar and ending his defiant stay at the crease.

This wicket opened the floodgates as Dubey, who quickly raced to career-best figures of 6/36, marked his second successive five-wicket haul in the match. He had earlier claimed 5/71 in the first innings, as Vidarbha bowled Himachal out for 307. Off-spinner Akshay Wakhare chipped in with 2/68.

The 22-year-old Dubey now boasts an impressive 62 first class wickets in just 12 matches.

Gujarat took three points with a narrow first-innings lead over Puducherry, as their Ranji Trophy clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad ended in a draw.

Young left-handed opener Aarya Desai was named Player of the Match for his impressive 200 off 342 balls, which propelled Gujarat to 375 and a slim 14-run first-innings lead.

This advantage proved decisive, leaving Puducherry with just one point from the match.

Brief Scores

In Nagpur: Himachal Pradesh 307 and 180; 61.1 overs (Mukul Negi 40, Akash Vasisht 34; Harsh Dubey 6/36) lost to Vidarbha 575. Vidarbha won by an innings and 88 runs.

In Ahmedabad: Puducherry 361 and 177/2; 45 overs (Aman Khan 77, Ajay Rohera 68 not out). Gujarat 375; 123 overs (Aarya Desai 200; Sagar Udeshi 5/79). Match drawn.

In Jaipur: Hyderabad 410 and 273/3; 65 overs (Kodimela Himateja 101 not out, Rahul Singh 47). Rajasthan 425. Match drawn. Points: Rajasthan 3, Hyderabad 1.