New Delhi, Feb 1 (UNI) Mumbai made history in the Ranji Trophy with their largest-ever innings victory, thrashing Meghalaya by an astonishing 456 runs in Mumbai on Saturday.
The win ensured Mumbai’s progression to the knockout stage, regardless of the result between Baroda and Jammu and Kashmir. After dominating the opening two days, Mumbai bowlers, led by Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian, destroyed Meghalaya’s resistance.
After being bowled out for 86 on day one, Meghalaya was dismissed for 129 in their second innings. This defeat confirmed their relegation to the Plate division for the next season.
In another dominant performance, Saurashtra secured their place in the quarterfinals by defeating Assam with an innings win. After taking a commanding 310-run first-innings lead, Saurashtra’s bowlers, led by Dharmendrasinh Jadeja’s five-wicket haul, bowled Assam out for just 166 to seal the victory.
Tamil Nadu qualified for the knockout despite a tense loss to Jharkhand. Chasing 234, Tamil Nadu struggled after early wickets, with Vijay Shankar falling and Baba Indrajith unable to bat. They were ultimately bowled out for 189, but their qualification was confirmed based on other results.
Gujarat stormed into the quarters with a dominant nine-wicket victory over Himachal Pradesh. Gujarat bowlers dismantled Himachal for just 175, with Siddharth Desai claiming four wickets. Gujarat chased down the modest target of 144 in just 23 overs, losing only one wicket in the process.
In the intense clash between Baroda and Jammu & Kashmir, controversy surrounded the pitch conditions, delaying play on day three. Despite this, Jammu & Kashmir, led by Shubham Khajuria’s 94, set Baroda a target of 365. Baroda ended the day with two wickets down and needed 307 more runs to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Karnataka, under pressure after trailing Haryana by 146 runs, are struggling to keep up in their contest. KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal’s steady partnership could not prevent Karnataka from losing wickets at crucial moments, leaving Haryana in control.
Elsewhere, Bengal handed Punjab a crushing innings defeat, securing a comfortable win by 13 runs. Vidarbha revived their chances against Hyderabad thanks to Karun Nair’s century, setting a target of 220 for the visitors.
Andhra comfortably triumphed over Rajasthan with a six-wicket win after dismissing them for just 114. Maharashtra maintained their lead against Tripura, but the visitors, led by Sridam Paul’s unbeaten 77, are still fighting to stay alive in the contest.
