Ranji Trophy semi-finals preview: Race to the title heats up

Ranji Trophy semi-finals preview: Race to the title heats up

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Jun 14, 2022 - 10:22
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Ranji Trophy semi-finals preview: Race to the title heats up
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The Ranji Trophy 2022 moves into the semi-final stage with Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh being the final four. All the four teams performed exceptionally in the tournament so far and would look to do more of the same when the last-four contests begin.

While Bengal frustrated Jharkhand in the quarter-final clash, Mumbai etched a record-breaking win against Uttarakhand by 725 runs. MP on the other side also clinched a thumping 10-wicket win over Punjab. It was the clash between UP and Karnataka that certainly showed why days cricket is still considered to be the best till date. Despite fall of wickets, UP skipper Karan Sharma held the fort at one end and took his side over the line by 5 wickets.

It’s Bengal vs Madhya Pradesh in the first semi-final which will be held at KSCA Cricket Ground, Alur and Mumbai vs UP in the second semi-final scheduled to take place at Just Cricket Academy Ground, Bengaluru.

Experienced Bengal

The Bengal side will be coming into this semi-final on the back of some scintillating show with the bat in the quarter-finals where they gave Jharkhand a taste of their own medicine. Jharkhand had batted for a majority part of the pre-quarter final against Nagaland. They posted 880 in the first innings and then 417/6 in the second.

Nagaland could only bat once and scored 289 in a match that eventually ended in a draw and Jharkhand moved forward into the quarter-final. Bengal certainly did the same after they first compiled 773/7 in the first innings and followed it with 318/7 in the second.

Jharkhand, in their only inning, could manage to scored 298 as the match ended in a draw and Bengal made a place in the semis on the basis of the first innings lead. The top nine batters from the Bengal side thoroughly frustrated Jharkhand and each one of them went past the 50-run mark in the first innings.

The Bengal team comprises of some experienced batters in the unit who can be dominant against any bowling line up and an instance of this was visible in the quarter-final. While the batting unit is riding high on confidence after that dominating run, the bowlers especially Shahbaz Ahmed and Mondal were among wickets in the quarter-final. Overall, it’s a side which has scored heaps of runs in the recent match and has also troubled the opposition with their bowling. Sticking to basics is the key.


Madhya Pradesh- Abundance of talent

Madhya Pradesh has been producing some talented cricketers who have become a household name for their IPL franchises as well as the state team. Riding on an all-round show, MP convincingly defeated Punjab in the quarter-final and made a place in the semis.

Their top-order which also comprises of RCB’s new hero Rajat Patidar has been in sublime form while the bowlers totally dominated the Punjab batting in both the innings.

In the first innings, it was the duo of medium pacers Puneet Datey and Anubhav Agarwal who scalped six wickets among themselves and the second innings saw spinner Kumar Kartikeya who ripped through the opposition's batting.

MP certainly worked on the orthodox method of days cricket in the quarterfinal clash. While the batters chipped in with runs, the medium pacers did their job in the first innings and the spinners followed them in the second. Guess, that’s all they need to do in the semis. Try and replicate what they did in the previous encounter.

Bengal vs MP

Both the sides have the batters in form and the bowlers among wickets. Surely, a high-voltage contest is expected when they meet for semis. Bengal vs spin is going to be an exciting contest as the team lost all their seven wickets to spin in the second innings and MP have Kumar Kartikeya who might create problems for their batters in the later stage.

‘Giants’ Mumbai

Domestic cricket’s giants Mumbai looked in no mood of giving away the opportunity to get into the groove during the quarter-final match against Uttarakhand.

Mumbai were in business straight away as Suved Parkar was given the cap after Ajinkya Rahane was ruled out due to an injury.

The youngster grabbed the opportunity with both the hands, scored 252 on debut and anchored the side to post a mammoth 647/8 (D) in the first innings.

Later, it was Shams Mulani who never let the opponents settle as Mumbai bowled Uttarakhand for 114. The misery didn’t stop here.

Mumbai didn’t enforce a follow-on and came out to bat for the second innings. This time it was Yashasvi Jaiswal who was on song and notched up a hundred as Mumbai put up 261/3 (D) in the second innings.

The Mumbai bowlers got into the act against and bundled out Uttarakhand for 69 in the second innings to win the match by a massive margin of 725 runs. While the Mumbai team was up against a relatively lesser experienced team, their ruthless performance was enough to show the mindset that the team has at the moment.

Enthusiastic Uttar Pradesh

UP rode on a calm and composed knock from captain Karan Sharma who struck an unbeaten 93 in the second innings to help his side win the quarter-final against Karnataka from a tricky situation.

But UP’s batting unit needs to chip in with some runs as they failed to leave a mark in the first innings and it was the skipper in the second who guided the side to victory after wickets kept tumbling from the other end.

The bowlers were impressive and with a possible inclusion of Mohsin Khan, they are likely to add more bite to the attack.

Mumbai vs UP

While Mumbai is in a ruthless mood at the moment, UP need to address their batting woes. UP line-up wears an inexperienced look while Mumbai have the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhawal Kulkarni are experienced enough to tackle knockout situations. Mouth-watering contest is on the cards.

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