Baroda, Vidarbha, and Uttar Pradesh registered significant victories in the second round of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C on Tuesday. Baroda secured a dominant 10-wicket win over Bihar, Vidarbha clinched a thrilling three-wicket victory against defending champions Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh defeated Goa by 68 runs.
Defending champions Jammu and Kashmir were bowled out for 120, allowing Madhya Pradesh to take a 135-run overall lead on day two of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match. Meanwhile, Baroda, Uttar Pradesh, and Vidarbha also established strong positions in their respective matches.
Captain Aryan Juyal's unbeaten 60 helped Uttar Pradesh recover against Goa, while Rajat Patidar's 107* put Madhya Pradesh in control against Puducherry, and Ravikumar Samarth's 133 kept Vidarbha in contention against Jammu & Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy.
Rinku Singh's unbeaten 118 helped Uttar Pradesh recover from a collapse to post 202 against Goa in their Ranji Trophy match. Goa ended day one at 43 for no loss, trailing by 159 runs. Other Group A matches saw Baroda struggling against Bihar, MP losing wickets against Puducherry, and J&K posting 260 against Vidarbha.
Uttar Pradesh defeated Bihar by an innings and 267 runs in their Group A Ranji Trophy match in Rajgir. Impressive bowling from Kartik Yadav and Karan Sharma led UP to a comprehensive victory on the third day, dismissing Bihar for 141 and 132 in their two innings.
A Durga idol immersion procession in Malegaon, Maharashtra, was targeted by stone pelters on Wednesday night after coloured powder allegedly fell on a house. The incident led to tension and a confrontation, though no injuries were reported. Police intervened, deployed additional forces, and completed the immersion rituals by Thursday morning, identifying suspects and appealing for peace.
Defending champions Jammu and Kashmir managed to secure a draw against Madhya Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy Group A opener. Rain and bad light intervened on the final day, preventing Madhya Pradesh from pushing for a victory after J&K were left reeling at 88 for seven chasing 326.
Defending champions Jammu and Kashmir made an impressive start to their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A campaign, dismissing Madhya Pradesh for 196 on the opening day. Medium pacer Rohit Sharma led the attack with a five-wicket haul, while Sunil Kumar added four wickets. J&K were 3/1 at stumps, trailing by 193 runs.
The Ranji Trophy 2026-27 season is set to begin on Sunday, featuring several prominent India cricketers like KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Their participation aims to provide valuable red-ball practice and fine-tune skills, while also offering a platform for players like Mohammed Shami to impress selectors. The tournament will also highlight emerging young talents from various states.
It isn't a fancy food. It doesn't have the national recognition of litti or baati. Outside its little corner of Vidarbha, many people may not even know it exists.
The BCCI has announced a 15-member India A squad for three unofficial Tests against New Zealand A, starting October 24. The squad includes senior players like KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, and Rishabh Pant (subject to fitness), raising questions about their availability for all 'A' matches due to overlapping ODI commitments.
India internationals KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna have been named in Karnataka's squad for their Ranji Trophy season opener against Andhra. Rahul is expected to play to prepare for the New Zealand Test tour, while Prasidh's participation is uncertain due to injury. The squad, led by Ravichandran Smaran, also sees a new coaching staff and a new sponsorship deal for Karnataka teams.
'Nearly two-thirds of Maharashtra has been drought-prone on and off, and climate change is making it worse.'
Sam Harper's unbeaten century rescued Australia A from a difficult position against India A on the opening day of the second unofficial Test in Puducherry. Despite strong performances from Indian bowlers Shams Mulani and Nachiket Bhute, Harper's partnerships helped Australia A reach a respectable total of 282 for seven.
'Without that one critical irrigation, the entire crop can be lost.'
Yash Thakur replaces injured Harshit Rana in India's T20I squad for the Afghanistan series and Asian Games. Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Reddy, and Washington Sundar have been cleared for both assignments after recovering from injuries. India's T20I series against Afghanistan begins September 13, followed by the Asian Games campaign starting September 28.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old batter, made history by becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in the Duleep Trophy. Playing for East Zone against Central Zone, he scored an unbeaten 80 off 69 balls, breaking a 57-year-old record.
Atharva Taide slammed a century to power Vidarbha to a 38-run win over Saurashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final.
Dubey to lead Vidarbha in Ranji tie against Andhra, Faiz added to Vijay Hazare final squad
Vidarbha's dominant title run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was a result of the players' belief in each other which helped them overcome challenging situations successfully, reckoned head coach Usman Ghani.
Last season's runners-up Vidarbha produced a disciplined all-round performance to beat Delhi by 76 runs and enter their second successive semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Former India and Karnataka pacer R Vinay Kumar has been appointed as the head coach for the Karnataka state cricket team, replacing Yere Goud. Kumar, who previously led Karnataka to multiple domestic titles, will aim to bring more silverware to the team, with Deepak Chougule and Mansur Ali Khan joining him in the coaching staff.
Vidarbha failed to advance on basis of the bonus points after it finished level on points with Andhra and Jharkhand.
Vidarbha's Atharva Taide slammed a match-winning century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Saurashtra on Sunday.
Unlike in the past, both Saurashtra and Vidarbha do not have any superstars in their line-up.
Devdutt Padikkal, who appears to have found a magic bat of sorts and is scoring runs at will, will hold the key to Karnataka's chances as they take on Vidarbha in the first semifinal of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru on Thursday.
A government adviser has called for India to reintroduce a petrol variant with a lower ethanol blend, such as E10, alongside the current E20 fuel. This move aims to protect millions of older vehicles, particularly two-wheelers, which may experience performance issues and damage from the higher 20 per cent ethanol blend.
Aman Mokhade's hundred carries Vidarbha into VHT final
Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur, 27, has received his maiden India call-up for the upcoming T20 International tour of Zimbabwe, a dream he shared with his late father.
Vidarbha's batting mainstay Dhruv Shorey equalled N Jagadeesan's record for the most consecutive List A centuries, registering his fifth in a row with an unbeaten 109 off 77 balls against Hyderabad.
Veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane has announced his immediate retirement from all formats of international cricket, stating that the time is right for him to 'move on' after a career spanning over a decade.
In another match, young Assam pacer Sadek Hussain returned a four-wicket haul on way to defeating Kerala by five wickets.
Millions play cricket in India; only a few reach the IPL teams or the Indian team. Sometimes, a player may not get selected not due to lack of skill, at other times it may be due to team balance. But what every youngster should remember is that talent is permanent; selection is temporary, notes K R Nayar.
Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut has made significant claims regarding potential political shifts, suggesting Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis might move to the Centre, paving the way for a new BJP chief minister in the state. Raut also announced a 'Ram Raksha Andolan' protest in Nagpur against alleged embezzlement at the Ayodhya Ram temple and commented on delimitation and activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike.
Vidarbha will take on Odisha at the VCA Cricket Stadium in Nagpur from Saturday.
Taide scored 118 not out off 240 balls, while Yash Rathod chipped in with a valuable 91 (153 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) as the two revived their side after wickets fell in a heap.
Vidarbha stayed firmly in control of the Irani Cup final, setting Rest of India a stiff 361-run target before reducing them to 30 for two in 12 overs when rain forced an early close on the fourth day, in Nagpur, on Saturday.
Yash Rathod has the sixth-highest first-class average for any Indian batter with at least 2000 runs, going past Vijay Hazare (58.38) and Vinod Kambli (59.67).
Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha took firm control of the Irani Cup, seizing a healthy first-innings lead and then consolidating it with a solid batting effort in their second essay against Rest of India at the VCA Stadium, in Nagpur, on Friday.
India's spin department is in 'transition' and the team management is in the process of assessing a pool of young bowlers who can potentially graduate to a higher level, said spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule.
