Saurashtra all but ensured Delhi's exit from Ranji Trophy with a 10-wicket victory inside two days in Group D, in Rajkot, on Friday.
Kolkata Knight Riders are expected to continue with their risk-taking approach despite mixed returns when they on Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai on Friday.
A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played on Sunday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore batters overcame some nervy moments after leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga spun his way to a four-wicket haul to register a three-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
IMAGES from the IPL 2022 opening game between CSK vs KKR in Mumbai, on Saturday
Mumbai Indians pace ace Jasprit Bumrah was at his devastating best as he picked up his first five wicket IPL haul against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the D Y Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai on Monday, May 9, 2022.
Cheteshwar Pujara hit an unbeaten century to guide Saurashtra to the Ranji Trophy final after they outclassed Karnataka by five wickets in the semi-final in Bengaluru, on Monday.
Round-up of the matches across various venues in the Ranji Trophy
Unmukt Chand has been appointed India A captain for the upcoming ODI tri-series involving Australia A and South Africa A starting in Chennai on August 5.
As the BCCI works out a compensation package and a formula to distribute it for the COVID-19 hit domestic cricketers, voices demanding central contracts for such players are getting louder with seasoned names like Jaydev Unadkat, Sheldon Jackson and Harpreet Singh Bhatia leading the chorus.
Rishi Dhawan led from the front with an all-round show as Himachal Pradesh beat Services by 77 runs in the semi-final, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday, to set up the title clash against Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy domestic One-Day championship.
Rajasthan's Mahipal Lomror put the IPL franchises on alert ahead of the mega auction with a sensational triple hundred comprising a staggering 13 sixes and 25 fours in their Ranji Trophy Group B match against Uttarakhand here on Thursday.
It was batters who mostly lead their teams to victories and some into the knock-outs. While Mumbai trailblazer Sarfaraz Khan continues to find the big runs, Baba Indrajith's consistency wasn't enough for Tamil Nadu to make even the top two in Group H.
Cheteshwar Pujara's presence did not help Saurashtra as a gritty Tripura humbled the defending champions
The format has been tweaked and there will be eight groups of four teams each with the plate group comprising six teams.
Roundup of Ranji Trophy matched played on Sunday
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.
Dharmendrasinh Jadeja took 7/32 as Saurashtra thrashed Rajasthan by 218 runs.
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.
Virat Singh was again in the limelight with a cracking half-century which guided East Zone to an eight-wicket victory over West Zone to clinch the National T20 Championship for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Pat Cummins dismissed Ishan Kishan, Daniel Sams, M Ashwin.
Replying to Bengal's 174 all out, Saurashtra were 81 for 2, trailing by 93 runs, at stumps on Day 1, with in-form opener Harvik Desai batting on 38.
He will join his former Proteas team mate and close friend Jacques Kallis who is the head coach of the two-time Indian Premier League champions.
The scenes that unfold before and after an IPL 2022 game often make for interesting viewing.
Kolkata Knight Riders will look to regain their momentum and remain in the hunt for the knockout stage when they clash with laggards Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
India internationals Shardul Thakur and Shivam Dube starred with the ball and the bat respectively as 41-time champions Mumbai took an upperhand over Assam on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group B match in Mumbai on Friday.
The mountain of runs that he has plundered so far in first-class cricket has ensured that the focus will be firmly on Delhi youngster Rishabh Pant as India 'A' take on the visiting England XI, in the second and final warm-up match in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Skipper Arpit Vasavada hit a double century as Saurashtra took a crucial 120-run first innings lead against Karnataka
Kuldeep Sen blew away the last two batters with scorching pace and steep bounce to finish with a match haul of eight wickets as Rest of India won their 29th Irani Trophy with a walk-in-the-park eight-wicket victory over Saurashtra.
When KKR were cruising along nicely, as the two-time IPL champions needed 40 off 24 with six wickets in hand, Chahal produced an incredible over to take four wickets in it and turned the match on its head.
Ruturaj Gaikwad slammed four hundreds from five innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy including a double century to finish with 660 runs at an astounding average of 220.
Sudeep Tyagi and Siddharth Trivedi, the medium pacers from Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat respectively, won't be a part of the Saurashtra Ranji Trophy squad for the first two matches this season.
A demoralising defeat in their own den will certainly serve as a wake-up call for the Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers as they take on a menacing Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
Bengal's dream of winning a Ranji Trophy after more than three decades suffered a setback as the left-arm Saurashtra pace duo of Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya rattled the home team's top-order, bundling them out for a paltry 174 on the opening day of the summit clash in Kolkata on Thursday.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be striving to turn around their fortunes in IPL 2021 after a below-par showing last season.
Defending champions West Zone rode on gritty half centuries from Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel to scramble past South Zone by two wickets and enter the Deodhar Trophy final, in Mumbai, on Monday. Chasing an imposing 315 for victory in the second semi-final at the Wankhede stadium, West were struggling at 174 for 6 before Yadav (80 off 56 balls, 4 sixes, 7 fours) and No. 8 batsman Patel (64 not out off 38 balls) put together a match-winning stand of 70 runs off 76 balls that saw the hosts home with 17 balls to spare.
With 10 points, KKR, however, are on the brink of elimination.
The second day of the ongoing Ranji Trophy Group matches in Mumbai and Rajkot will start late by two hours from the regular time due to solar eclipse on Thursday. A source in the Mumbai Cricket Association confirmed the development after the opening day's play between Mumbai and Railways concluded at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
LSG are sitting in second place with 14 point thanks to a stupendous show by Rahul
