Tag: Ranji trophy

9Apr By source belowNo Comments

Sports

Kerala cricket team to face Oman national side in five One-Day games, Azharuddeen named captain

After a fruitful 2024-25 domestic season where they featured in their maiden Ranji Trophy final, the Kerala cricket team will begin their preparatory leg for the forthcoming season with an overseas tour to Oman to take on the ICC-ranked national team. The Kerala Cricket Association on Wednesday announced a 16-member side that will feature in the practice matches in Oman. The team will take on the national team in five 50-over matches. In the absence of Sanju Samson and Sachin Baby due to their IPL commitments with the Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Azharuddeen was named the skipper of the Kerala team after his prolific Ranji Trophy season. Ranji Trophy performers Salman Nizar, Nidheesh MD, Basil NP, Ahmed Imran and Eden Apple Tom were a...

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2Apr By source belowNo Comments

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Yashasvi Jaiswal: ‘Whatever I am today is because of Mumbai… but couldn’t turn down Goa leadership role’

Despite making his intentions clear to the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to represent Goa on Wednesday, India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal said that he will always be indebted to Mumbai cricket and the city. Jaiswal wrote to the MCA asking them to issue a No Objection Certificate in order for him to represent Goa in the forthcoming 2025-26 domestic season. “It was a very tough decision for me. Whatever I am today is because of Mumbai. The city has made me who I am, and all my life, I will be indebted to the MCA,” Jaiswal told The Indian Express. Story continues below this ad Elaborating on how Goa has offered him a leadership role, he said, “Goa has thrown me a new opportunity and it has offered me a leadership role. My first goal will be to do well for India and whenever I...

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16Mar By source belowNo Comments

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‘I will find my process, rhythm as soon as I can’: Karun Nair hopes to carry forward domestic form into IPL for Delhi Capitals

After a fantastic domestic domestic season where he helped Vidarbha win the Ranji Trophy, batter Karun Nair said that he wants to replicate that success and help Delhi Capitals win the Indian Premier League, which is set to start in less than a week. “I am really happy to back at the Delhi Capitals, I am excited to join the side and to play with everyone. I will treat the game as important as the last one. I didn’t change much at all, I just trusted the process and kept it going throughout the tournament and that’s what was planned for this season,” Nair said during an interaction with media. “I will find my process, my rhythm as soon as I can and I will like to start well early and will try to get better as the tournament goes on. The only thing that I have done is playing according to th...

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26Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Kerala’s Kelappan Thampuran and the birth of the one-day game

As a schoolboy, when I visited grandparents in Kerala, there was a running joke provoked by my love for cricket. Relatives would tell me with much merriment that cricket was a game played by royalty and madmen — “usually the same people,” they added — and berate me for not playing football or volleyball. Most relatives were converted in the 1980s, when television brought cricket into their homes. Like the mathematician G.H. Hardy who said that even if he lay dying he would still want to hear the cricket scores, my grandmother expressed just such a wish. That was startling. She had become a fan of Ravi Shastri, which was as dramatic a turnaround as you could imagine. Perhaps television played the key role in spreading the game in one of India’s few regions where traditionally cricke...

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25Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Ranji Trophy final: Powered by outsiders Karun Nair’s Vidarbha and Aditya Sarwate’s Kerala vie for domestic title

As Karun Nair fixed his cap, stroked the stubbled chin and smiled into the cameras mounted near the stairway to the dressing room, Kerala captain Sachin Baby, striding onto the ground, yipped at the reporters queuing up to shoot questions: “Avanod Malayalathil utharam parayan para!” Ask him to give the answers in Malayalam. Karun flashed a hearty smile and retorted: “Seri, aykotte! Roughly translated as “ok, let it be.”It’s been a dreamy season for Karun’s Vidarbha, and Baby’s Kerala. Now the two teams will be vying for the Ranji Trophy. There is a bit of history; in 2017-18, Vidarbha had steamrollered Kerala in the quarterfinals enroute to their first championship title. Around 20-25 journalists from Kerala are at Nagpur, sniffing a chance to report history. For the next half an hour af...

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25Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Vidarbha retain 17-member squad for Ranji Trophy final against Kerala

Vidarbha’s players after winning the Ranji Trophy Semi-Final 2 against Mumbai | Photo Credit: ANI Vidarbha on Monday (February 24, 2025) retained their 17-member squad to take on Kerala in the final of the Ranji Trophy which will be played at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur in Jamtha from Wednesday (February 26, 2025)."VCA’s senior selection committee, which met on Monday (February 25, 2025), decided to retain the same squad that did duty in the semi-final against Mumbai. Akshay Wadkar will lead the side," the Vidarbha Cricket Association said on Monday (February 25, 2025).Vidarbha, who have remained unbeaten in the premier domestic competition this season, qualified for the summit clash after a commanding 80-run wi...

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17Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar fully aware of Mumbai lower-order’s capabilities 

Vidarbha’s Akshay Wadkar | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy Mumbai has a legacy of a strong lower order bailing the team out, especially in big knockout games, right through the history of the Ranji Trophy. While Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar was cautious about the allrounders’ trio of Shams Mulani, Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian, his Mumbai counterpart hoped that the trio’s batting effort will not have to be relied upon too much in the Ranji semifinal.“We are cautious about their lower order. That’s the strongest lower order among all the opponents we have faced so far. Not just the last year’s final, even in the last match (quarterfinal against Haryana), we saw the lower order bailing them out from 100 for seven...

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11Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Urvil Patel now scores a Ranji Trophy ton, after his fastest Indian T20 century

This has been a record-making season for Gujarat’s Urvil Patel. Having picked up cricket in Palanpur, a city that is synonymous with diamonds, the 26-year-old is beginning to show why he must be the most polished gem to emerge out of the town. In this season’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he smashed the fastest-ever T20 century by an Indian off 28 deliveries, which is the second fastest in the world too. In last season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy, he hit a 41-ball hundred, the second quickest by an Indian. On Monday, it was time to get down to the record books again as his maiden first-class century (140 off 197) against Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy made him only the second player after Shreyas Iyer to score a century in all three formats of a single domestic season. When the third day’s play bega...

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10Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Ranji Trophy: Salman Nizar hits ton as last-wicket pair adds 81 to give Kerala 1-run lead over J&K

Kerala started the third day at 200/9, 80 behind Jammu and Kashmir’s first innings score. Salman Nizar, coming in at No.6 , was batting on 49 with only No.11 Basil Thampi for company. But they pulled a rabbit out the hat, as the last-wicket partnership took Kerala to 281, giving them a cheeky 1-run lead, and 1000 watts worth of confidence.Despite Nizar’s ton (112 not out), the match is still wide open, with J&K batting on 180/3 in their second innings. But having had Kerala under the pump at one stage, they knew they had let an opportunity go by. Nizar, nicknamed ‘Bakki’, and Thampi barely gave them a chance though, such was the positivity and freedom in their batting in the moving day’s morning session. Salman comes from Thalassery – that Keralites call the second mecca of cricket, be...

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5Feb By source belowNo Comments

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Ranji Trophy: Haryana-Mumbai quarterfinal moved from Lahli to Kolkata at the last minute

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to change the venue of the Mumbai-Haryana Ranji Trophy quarter-final from Lahli to Kolkata at the last moment citing ‘unavoidable circumstances’. BCCI game development manager Abey Kuruvila has informed Haryana Cricket Association and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) of the change. MCA had already booked flight tickets for its 18-member squad and they were supposed to fly to Delhi early morning on Wednesday. “We were informed by mail that the Ranji Trophy game between Haryana and Mumbai, to be played in Lahli, has been shifted to Eden Gardens in Kolkata due to unavoidable circumstances. Cricket Association of Bengal will be hosting and taking care of all arrangements,” an MCA official said. No official reason has been given but i...

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3Feb By source belowNo Comments

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‘Maza aa gaya’: WATCH – Virat Kohli lauds Himanshu Sangwan, signs autograph on Railways pacer’s wicket-taking ball

Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji Trophy last week with the bat was an all too brief stay at the crease, lasting 23 fleeting minutes before an expectant home crowd at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. As Kohli’s off-stump went for a toss from a nip-backer off his 15th delivery from a relatively unknown Himanshu Sangwan, the Railways pacer burst to the limelight for his roaring celebration, theatrics often associated with Kohli himself. After all, there is the Delhi fire running in 27-year-old Sangwan too who represented the team in age-group cricket and made his U-15 debut with Kohli’s India teammate and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. Sangwan, who works as a senior ticket collector in the Old Delhi Railway Station was later appreciated by the former India captain in the dressing-room follow...

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30Jan By source belowNo Comments

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Ranji Trophy | Nizar’s unbeaten century rescues Kerala

Nizar carried the day for Kerala with his gritty knock. | Photo Credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN Salman Nizar’s maiden First-Class century (111 not out) lifted Kerala from the doldrums to a position of comfort against Bihar on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match at the Sports Hub here on Thursday. Opting to bat, Kerala frittered away the advantage with its batters playing a series of rash strokes and slumped to 202 for eight before Nizar did the rescue act with the help of the tail-enders to help the host reach 302 for nine at stumps. M.D. Nidheesh (30) added 79 runs for the ninth wicket with Nizar. The left-handed Nizar farmed the strike and chose the right moments to hit the big shots. N...

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29Jan By source belowNo Comments

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Ranji Trophy | Bengal needs to win big to harbour any hopes of advancing

Bengal will need a big win over Punjab in its last Elite Group-C match, starting at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday, and a miracle to reach the Ranji Trophy knockout stage.Placed fourth with 14 points from six matches, Bengal has to regroup after its outright loss to Haryana at Kalyani. It has to beat Punjab with a bonus point and hope that Kerala (21) and Karnataka (19) don’t get a single point in their respective matches against bottom-placed Bihar and table-topper Haryana respectively in order to qualify.If the difficult scenario does not materialise in favour of the Anustup Majumdar-led side, then the Punjab match will be the swansong for international wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha.His teammates would do well to push for a win, which might boost their chance to qualify or provi...

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29Jan By source belowNo Comments

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Ranji Trophy | Karnataka needs a win to make it to the knockouts

Karnataka skipper Mayank, centre, with fellow batting mainstays Padikkal and Rahul during the pre-match training in Bengaluru on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR Karnataka will aim to gain a victory with a bonus point when it takes on Haryana in their last Ranji Trophy Elite ‘C’ group stage match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday. Karnataka (19 points) will need a full seven points to match table-topper Haryana (26 points). If Haryana and Karnataka are tied on points, Karnataka will advance on the back of recording more bonus point wins. With second-placed Kerala (21 points) expected to gain a win over a weak Bihar at Thiruvananthapuram, Karnataka will need a big win to deny Haryana a kn...

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28Jan By source belowNo Comments

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Virat Kohli checks in for Ranji Trophy: Greets old friends, plays football before batting for an hour

At 9 am on Tuesday, Pradeep Rana, a Delhi police sub-inspector was shocked by the presence of media gathering outside the Virender Sehwag gate at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. He alerted his superior over the phone: “Sir do log hi hai jyada security lag sakti hai, kuch aur log bhej do (We’ll need more security for today, please send more force).”A few minutes later, the buzz outside the Kotla stadium gathered pace with TV reporters and photo-journalists, trying to get the best shot of Virat Kohli, who entered the stadium in his car. Kohli is playing a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi after a gap of 12 years. Delhi will take on Railways from January 30 in their last group match. Story continues after this ad Delhi’s team manager Mahesh Bhati greeted Kohli outside the Virat Kohli pa...

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27Jan By source belowNo Comments

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Wanted to bat Chandigarh out of the game: Vijay Shankar

Jagadeesan and Vijay Shankar’s big partnership dashed Chandigarh’s hopes. | Photo Credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN There’s no better way to usher in your 35th birthday than by scoring a sublime century — also your highest-ever first-class score — in the country’s premier tournament, the Ranji Trophy.Vijay Shankar accomplished this feat on Saturday (January 25, 2025), just a day before his birthday, with invaluable support from Tamil Nadu’s ever-reliable N. Jagadeesan, against Chandigarh. The pair’s 152-run partnership set up the host’s 209-run win on the final day on Sunday (January 25, 2025).Speaking to The Hindu, the two reflected on their crucial partnership.“The wicket was doing a bit in the morning. Especially...

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24Jan By source belowNo Comments

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We have to win both Ranji games to stand a chance: Smaran

Smaran is going through a purple patch. | Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH Former Dutch footballer and Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is supposed to have once told Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain that goals were like ketchup. “You try, but it doesn’t come out. When it comes, it does all at once.”R. Smaran appears to be experiencing that in cricket. In his first five First Class matches for Karnataka, he scored 145 runs in all. But in the recent victorious Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, he totalled 433 runs from 10 matches at an average of 72.16. In fact, in his last three outings, he has scored 76, 101 and 203, against Haryana, Vidarbha (both Vijay Hazare Trophy) and Punjab (Ranji Trophy) re...

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23Jan By source belowNo Comments

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I am trying to do my best:  Abhilash

Abhilash gave his teammates a cause to celebrate three times on Thursday. | Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH For a rookie fast-bowler, Abhilash Shetty has done rather well.In his maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign for Karnataka, the left-armer finished with 17 wickets, fifth best in the tournament. This included a nerveless performance against Baroda in the quarterfinals where he successfully bowled the last over with 13 runs needed. And on Thursday, in only his second First Class game, the 26-year-old returned figures of 3/19 including the prized scalp of Shubman Gill. “My natural delivery comes in, but initially I didn’t get much control,” he explained after the close of play. “But after two balls, i...

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23Jan By source belowNo Comments

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Karnataka in control after its pacers destroy the Punjab batting line-up

Karnataka established a firm stranglehold over its Ranji Trophy Elite Group-C encounter against Punjab, skittling out the visitor for a paltry 55 here on Thursday and then finishing at 199 for four at stumps on day one.R. Smaran’s stroke-filled, unbeaten 83 (100b, 12x4, 1x6) – his first half-century in First Class cricket – was the highlight of Karnataka’s reply. The 21-year-old, who starred in his side’s recent Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph, drove superbly, especially in the arc between third man and cover. He was equally adept when the bowlers sprayed the ball on his legs, as attested by the clipped four with which he brought up his fifty and his lone maximum off tweaker Jassinder Singh over mid-wicket.Fellow batters K.V. Aneesh, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal and K.L. Shrijith all ...

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22Jan By source belowNo Comments

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Ranji Trophy: Rajasthan-Vidarbha game shifted from Sawai Mansingh Stadium to allow IPL pitch preparation

Jaipur’s premier cricket ground, the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, wouldn’t be hosting the Rajasthan vs Vidarbha Ranji Trophy game starting on Thursday. Instead, the game has been moved to the KL Saini Stadium on the city’s outskirts. In times when the Indian board has emphasised the importance of domestic cricket’s oldest tournament, Jaipur’s main venue has given Ranji a miss as it is being prepared for the IPL that is two months away. The KL Saini Stadium last hosted a First-Class match in December 2012. The upcoming IPL season begins on March 21.The Sawai Mansingh Stadium hosted all three of Rajasthan’s home games in the first leg this season. The ground also hosted seven Vijay Hazare Trophy group-stage matches recently, the last of them on January 5. The decision to move Rajasthan’s home mat...

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19Jan By source belowNo Comments

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Ravindra Jadeja to play Saurashtra’s Ranji Trophy tie against Delhi

File photo of Ravindra Jadeja. | Photo Credit: AP India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is set to play in Saurashtra's Ranji Trophy tie against Delhi from January 23 after turning up for the team's practice session in Rajkot on Sunday (January 19, 2025).Jadeja last played for Saurastra in January 2023.Following the tour of Australia, the BCCI had made participation in domestic cricket mandatory unless the player is unavailable due to an injury."Jadeja has turned up for training today. He will play the next match," Saurashtra Cricket Association president Jaydev Shah told PTI on Sunday. India captain Rohit Sharma, who battles poor form in Australia, confirmed his availability for Mumbai's next Ranji Trophy against J...

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17Jan By source belowNo Comments

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Has T20 cricket deskilled Indian batting?

India’s 1-3 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy marked the end of its decade-long dominance in the series against Australia. This was not an exception; India’s performance in Test cricket has been dismal for a while now. Over the last four months, the team has lost six out of eight Tests, including a shocking 0-3 defeat against New Zealand at home. Has T20 cricket deskilled Indian batting? Wasim Jaffer and Jaydev Unadkat discuss the question in a conversation moderated by Amol Karhadkar. Edited excerpts: Let’s cut to the chase. Has T20 cricket deskilled Test cricket? Wasim Jaffer: It surely has, and it’s quite exciting too. In our time, we had to play three-day or four-day cricket. We had to score big hundreds and double hundreds to get noticed. But ever since T20 came in, at t...

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