Karnataka has advanced to the Ranji Trophy final after 11 years, setting up a title clash against Jammu and Kashmir.
Key Points
- Karnataka secures a spot in the Ranji Trophy final after an 11-year gap, advancing after taking a crucial first-innings lead against Uttarakhand.
- Karnataka will clash against Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy final, in Hubbali from February 24.
- Karnataka are aiming for their ninth Ranji Trophy title, having last triumphed in the 2014-15 season.
- Jammu and Kashmir will be competing for their first-ever Ranji title, after beating Bengal in the semi-final.
Karnataka entered the Ranji Trophy final after a hiatus of 11 years, advancing by virtue of a first innings lead from their drawn semi-final match against Uttarakhand, in Lucknow, on Thursday.
Karnataka will clash against Jammu and Kashmir in the final to be played at Hubballi from February 24.
Resuming the fifth and final day from their overnight score of 299 for six, Karnataka lost the remaining four wickets quickly and were bowled out for 323, finishing with a massive overall lead of 826 runs.
Uttarakhand made a strong impression with the bat in the second innings courtesy of fifties by Avneesh Sudha (66), Sachin Rawat (53 not out) and Abhay Negi (57 not).
They finished on 260/6 in their second innings when the two teams agreed for a draw, thwarting Karnataka's ambitions for an outright win.
Karnataka's huge first innings lead of 503 runs was enough for them to ensure a passage to the final.
Karnataka were pressing for an outright win after reducing Uttarakhand to 156 for six in the second session.
But Negi and Rawat hung in there, adding 104 runs for the seventh wicket before both the captains decided to shake hands 30 minutes after tea.
Karnataka's Eye Ninth Ranji Title
Karnataka will eye their ninth Ranji Trophy title, and the last of which came in the 2014-15 season under the leadership of R Vinay Kumar.
In fact, Karnataka had then achieved the rare distinction of becoming the second domestic side after Mumbai to win all three the titles twice in as many seasons.
Following their success in the 2013-14 season, Karnataka grabbed the Ranji, Irani and Vijay Hazare trophies in the 2014-15 season as well.
Robin Uthappa led the run-chart with 912 runs while Vinay was the leading wicket-taker along with Mumbai's Shardul Thakur -- 48 wickets.
KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal and Shreyas Gopal are the only four survivors in the current Karnataka squad from that period of dominance.
On that other hand, Jammu and Kashmir will eye their maiden Ranji title, having reached the final for the first time in six decades.
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