KOLKATA, February 14: First-time semifinalists Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Uttarakhand aim to prolong their fairy-tale journeys when they clash with powerhouses Bengal and Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy semifinals starting Sunday. J&K face Bengal at Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani, while Uttarakhand take on eight-time champions Karnataka at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.
J&K etched their name in history with a maiden semifinal berth, securing a 56-run victory over Madhya Pradesh in Indore—their deepest run since debuting in 1959-60. Seamer Auqib Nabi orchestrated the win with match figures of 12/110, topping the season’s wicket charts with 46 scalps. Left-armer Sunil Kumar chipped in with 22 wickets, bolstering a tight attack.
Batting mainstay Abdul Samad leads with 543 runs, backed by skipper Paras Dogra’s 484 in crunch situations.
Bengal, leveraging home advantage, thumped Andhra by an innings and 90 runs in the quarters. Sudip Kumar Gharami’s epic 299 fueled the dominance; he’s piled up 651 runs this season. Sumanta Gupta (506), Anustup Majumdar (367), and Abhimanyu Easwaran (373) solidify the top order.
Their bowling shines too: Shahbaz Ahmed (39 wickets), Mohammed Shami (28), Akash Deep (19), Mukesh Kumar (five in quarters), and SS Jaiswal (20) form a lethal unit.
Uttarakhand stormed into the last four with an innings-and-six-run rout of Jharkhand, setting up a blockbuster against Karnataka, who edged defending champions Mumbai by four wickets for their ninth title shot—their first since 2014-15.
Spinner Mayank Mishra dazzled with a match-haul of eight (including 5/22), leading the tournament with 52 wickets. All-rounder Jagadeesha Suchith (25 wickets, 414 runs) and captain Kunal Chandela (709 runs at 64+ average) starred, with Bhupen Lalwani adding 409 as they topped their group.
Karnataka’s batting depth impresses: Mayank Agarwal (492), Devdutt Padikkal (300), Smaran Ravichandran (688), Karun Nair (631), and KL Rahul (138 in quarters; 1,871 runs in their last title wins). Bowling firepower includes Shreyas Gopal (41 wickets), Vidwath Kaverappa (37), Shikhar Shetty (33), and Prasidh Krishna.
While Bengal and Karnataka hold favoritism, J&K and Uttarakhand’s grit promises thrilling upsets in these high-stakes semifinals.
