Tilak Varma, Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians!
It's a mismatch of sorts. One team is attempting to win its 40th title, the other its first! Yet, the final of the Ranji Trophy between Mumbai and Saurashtra, starting Saturday at the Wankhede stadium, promises a lot more.
Hosts Bengal face an uphill task of surviving the whole of fourth day against Railways in order to avoid a fourth outright defeat in their final Group A league encounter of the Ranji Trophy.
Karnataka kept their semifinal hopes alive as they took three vital points by virtue of their first-innings lead against Vidarbha in their Ranji Trophy Group B match, which ended in a draw in Mysore on Tuesday.
Subramanium Badrinath's brilliant unbeaten 175 (605 minutes, 381 balls, 20x4) went in vain as minnows Rajasthan beat Tamil Nadu by virtue of the first innings lead of 167 runs and entered the final of the Ranji Trophy Super League.
Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal on Friday expressed his delight after smashing his third century of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, saying he was always confident of making a strong back after going through a lean patch in the last season.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly will come out of first-class retirement all over again as he is likely to play for Bengal in the upcoming Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu in Chennai from December 1.
The Delhi youngster had had his fair share of struggles while transforming from a frail 15-year-old to a frighteningly quick fast bowler.
A wrap-up of the second day action of the Ranji Trophy Elite division matches across the country on Wednesday.
Round up of the ranji matches being played on Tuesday.
Shikhar Dhawan was all guts and grit while negotiating tough conditions in his comeback game as he boosted Delhi's morale with a well-controlled 137 against Hyderabad in their Ranji Trophy Group A match in New Delhi. A round up of Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Wednesday.
Jammu and Kashmir made it to the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy despite suffering a two-wicket defeat at the hands of Haryana in their final Group C match in Jammu on Saturday. In the quarter-finals to be played from February 20 to 24, Saurashtra will be up against Andhra, Karnataka will face Jammu and Kashmir, Bengal will take on Odisha and Gujarat will square off against Goa.
A summary of Wednesday's action in Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
Rohit Sharma's poor form in red-ball cricket continued as he fell for a 19-ball 3 before Mumbai conceded a first-innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir
A round-up of final day of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Thursday.
The Indian skipper who missed the last two Tests due to a groin strain, attended the Ranji Trophy match between Bengal and Karnataka in Kolkata.
Round up of the Ranji trophy matches being played in the country.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Saturday.
Natraj and Niranjan Behera struck half centuries as Orissa scored 177 for three after following-on in their Ranji Trophy Super League Group B against Punjab which ended in a draw on the fourth and final day in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
A summary of the day's play in the Elite division matches of the Ranji Trophy.
After a commanding batting display, Mumbai put up an impressive bowling performance to wrest control over Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy Group A match in Rajkot on Monday.
Shreyas Iyer was the lone ranger as his unbeaten 191 helped Mumbai to 328/6 in their Group A Ranji Trophy cricket match against Gujarat in Hubballi on Wednesday. At stumps on the third and penultimate day, Mumbai trailed Gujarat by 109 runs with four wickets remaining in the first innings. Gujarat were all out for 437 in their first essay after Priyank Kirit Panchal slammed 232.
Vidarbha piled up a mammoth 511 in their first essay and then reduced Mumbai to 169 for six on the second day of their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy Game in Nagpur on Monday.
He had said earlier that he was ready for the Yo-Yo test.
Delhi failed to record an outright win against Vidarbha on Tuesday and were knocked out at the group league stage of the Ranji Trophy in Nagpur.
Haryana gained two points on account of their first innings lead against Services, who were relegated to the Plate Group
Delhi suffered another batting collapse to brighten Punjab's prospects of recording an outright victory in their Ranji Trophy Group B match in New Delhi on Thursday.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Thursday.
Roundup of the Ranji Trophy matches played at various places
Three early strikes by pacer Rohan Raje and a four-wicket haul by spinner Iqbal Abdullah helped hosts Mumbai restrict Railways to 201 on day one of the Group A Ranji Trophy Elite division match.
An inspirational catch at first slip by Anushtup Majumdar off Ranadeb Bose's bowling enabled Bengal earn three points against Delhi by virtue of 14-run first innings lead in a Group A Super League match of the Ranji Trophy at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground in New Delhi on Thursday.
The two points they earned from their drawn match against Railways ensured them a berth.
Praveen Kumar's brilliant six wicket-haul helped Uttar Pradesh defeat Hyderabad by 132 runs in the Ranji Trophy Super League Group B match in Hyderabad on Friday.
India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha scalped two wickets as Hyderabad pressed for a first innings lead on the second day of their Ranji Trophy group league match against Railways in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Muralidharen Gautam carried on with his good form as he completed his double century to lead Karnataka to a mammoth 619 for eight on day two of their Ranji Trophy Group B match against Vidarbha, in Mysore on Sunday.
Railways wrested the initiative in the final session to leave Rajasthan struggling at 56 for three in reply to their first innings score of 405 on the second day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Group A match in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
The left-hand batsman, who failed to find a place in the Indian team for the first and second cricket Tests against Pakistan, has been allowed to play Ranji Trophy matches for Punjab.
Gautam Gambhir lived a charmed life but the famous grit was displayed in abundance on way to an unbeaten 92, his final knock in competitive cricket guiding Delhi to 190 for one.
A summary of the opening day's play from the Ranji Trophy matches at various venues across the country.
Karnataka became the first team to seal a quarter-final berth in the Ranji Trophy tournament after beating Baroda by an innings and 102 runs in their Super League Group B match in Vadodara on Thursday.
