Kamlesh Makvana (batting 54) kept Saurashtra in the hunt for the first innings lead against defending champions Rajasthan on the second day of their Ranji Trophy league match in Jaipur on Sunday.
Riding on a splendid bowling spell by debutant seamer Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Saurashtra beat Madhya Pradesh by 227 runs on the fourth and final day of their Ranji Trophy Group A match and entered into knockout stage.
Ravindra Jadeja snapped six wickets in a brilliant bowling performance as Saurashtra shot out Hyderabad for 186 to take a crucial 74-run first-innings lead on the second day of their Ranji Trophy match.
A young but mighty Mumbai have history and form firmly on their side when they chase their 41st Ranji Trophy title by locking horns with Saurashtra, who are taking a rare shot at domestic cricket's biggest prize, in the summit showdown beginning in Pune from Wednesday. While Mumbai will be appearing in their 45th final of the top domestic tournament, it is only the second time that Saurashtra are in the title clash. Incidentally, it was Mumbai who put paid to Saurashtra's hopes of a maiden triumph by wrapping the final in three days in 2012-13. That was the only time Saurashtra came close to the title. Mumbai won that match by an innings and 125 runs for their 40th trophy. Three seasons later, the scene remains more or less the same and it will take a huge effort from Saurashtra to upset a side which has almost won more titles than the rest of India combined. For the record, since 1990-91, Mumbai haven't lost any of the 10 finals they have played. Mumbai have at least five of those who played in the earlier final in the squad -- Aditya Tare, Abhishek Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur and Vishal Dabholkar.
Set a target of 206, Saurashtra folded for 127 in 58.4 overs, giving Vidarbha their second title triumph in the country's marquee first-class tournament.
Saurashtra took firm control as India discard Jaydev Unadkat grabbed a five-wicket haul to skittle out Vidarbha for a paltry 151 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh. After Unadkat's 5/70 saw Subramanium Badrinath's side being bowled out in just 50.4 overs, Saurashtra batted cautiously to end the day at 70 for one in 30 overs. Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara looked in good touch as he remained unbeaten on 45 from 71 balls with nine boundaries to his credit. With the wicket easing out, Pujara looks set for a long haul and Saurashtra will be aiming to out-bat the opposition. Giving Pujara company is the other opener Sagar Jogiyani, who consumed 87 balls to remain undefeated on 19.
Opener Desai was well-supported by Snell Patel (72), Cheteshwar Pujara (67 not out) and Sheldon Jackson (73 not out) as Saurashtra pulled off the 372-run chase by losing just four wickets in 115.1 overs.
There were three attractive half-centuries but a top and lower-middle order collapse saw hosts Karnataka manage a below-par 264 for 9 against Saurashtra on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final on Thursday.
Saurashtra, led by the inspirational Jaydev Unadkat, will back themselves to win an elusive Ranji Trophy title at home but a buoyant Bengal will be no pushovers in what promises to be an absorbing final beginning, in Rajkot, on Monday. Both the teams are desperate to go all the way with Saurashtra reaching their fourth final in eight seasons while Bengal has not tasted success in the premier domestic event since the 1989-90 triumph.
Saurashtra were best chasers during the knockout stage but their reliable batsmen came a cropper in the most-important clash.
A summary of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Monday
Round up of the Ranji Trophy matches being played in the country
A summary of the first day's play at different venues in the Ranji Trophy.
A round-up of the second day's play of the Ranji Trophy matches being played in different parts of the country.
Umesh Yadav starred with a match haul of 12/79 as defending champion Vidarbha routed Kerala by an innings and 11 runs shortly after lunch on Day 2 to storm into the Ranji Trophy final for the second year in a row.
Pacers Basil Thampi and Sandeep Warrier powered Kerala into the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy as the hosts registered a thumping 113-run win over Gujarat, on Day 3, in Wayanad, on Thursday.
Manoj Tiwary and Sudip Chatterjee scored centuries to lead Bengal's spirited comeback against Mumbai, while Gujarat put themselves in line for full seven points after enforcing the follow-on against Punjab. A round up of Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy matches.
A summary of the third day's play in the Ranji Trophy matches at various venues across the country.
Table toppers Karnataka suffered a batting collapse as they were bowled out for 200 by Saurashtra on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group B cricket match in Patiala on Tuesday.
Captain Gautam Gambhir led from the front with a gutsy century to lift Delhi to 260 for six at stumps on the first day of their opening Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra
Virender Sehwag celebrated his international retirement with a scintillating ton for Haryana as Jayant Yadav also joined the century-makers' list to help the side post 319 for eight on a dramatic Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy cricket league match against Karnataka on Thursday.
Skipper Manoj Tiwary showed the way as Bengal produced a much improved batting performance in the second innings against Mumbai in a group A encounter in Nagpur. After Ashok Dinda's 22nd five wicket haul in first class cricket enabled Bengal to restrict Mumbai to 229, Bengal scored 198 for 3 in 61 overs.
A round-up of the Ranji matches played on Friday
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday
A summary of the day's play in the Ranji Trophy matches.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances