MP qualify for first Ranji Trophy final since 1998–99, for Mumbai in summit clash
The valor of Himanshu Mantri (165 and 21) and Kumar Karthikeya (3/61 and 5/67) propelled Madhya Pradesh to their first Ranji Trophy final since 1998–99, when they beat Bengal by 174 runs in the semi-final . They will face Mumbai, who are 41-time champions, in the final. This is Mumbai’s 47th final overall and their first since 2016-17. The MP elected to bat first and placed 341/10 on the board, largely driven by the efforts of the minister (165), Akshat Raghuvanshi (63). Medium pacer Mukesh Kumar (4/66) and all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed (3/86) shone with the ball for Bengal.
In the second innings, Bengal were bundled out for 273 runs. Batting performance was sub-par except for Manoj Tiwary (102) and Shahbaz Ahmed (116). Spinners Kumar Karthikeya (3/61) and Sarshan Jain (3/63) and pacer Puneet Date (3/48) were the stars for MP with the ball. In the next innings, MP started with a lead of 68 runs. Knockouts from Rajat Patidar (79) and skipper Aditya Srivastava (82) helped Bengal reach 281/10, setting a target of 350. Shahbaz Ahmed scored a brilliant 5/79. Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran (78) was the lone warrior in the chase as the rest of the side could not handle Karthikeya (5/67), Gaurav Yadav (3/19) and Sarshan Jain (2/69) and were dismissed . 175, won MP by 174 runs.
A fine all-round bowling performance from Madhya Pradesh helped them secure a 174-run win over Bengal on Day 5 of @Paytm #RanjiTrophy #SF1 and make it to the #finals. _ _ #benvmp
View Highlights _ _https://t.co/R9isgIJcDQ pic.twitter.com/7R3192utoV – BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) June 18, 2022
The minister was adjudged ‘Man of the Match’ for his 165s and 21s.
On the other hand, in the second semi-final, Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh were drawn, with Mumbai advancing to the final on the basis of their first innings lead. Opting to bat first, Mumbai scored 393/10 in the first innings, with Yashasvi Jaiswal (100) and keeper Hardik Tamor (115) scoring centuries.
For UP, spinners Karan Sharma (4/46) and Saurabh Kumar (3/107) did well with the ball. In the second innings, UP were bowled out for 180, with bowler Shivam Mavi scoring 48 runs. Medium-pacer Tushar Deshpande (3/34) and Mohit Awasthi (3/39) were the stars for Mumbai with the ball. They scored 533/4, before the match was drawn on the basis of a first innings lead of 213 runs obtained by Mumbai. Captain Prithvi Shaw (64), Yashasvi Jaiswal (181), Armaan Jaffer (127), Sarfaraz Khan (59*) and Shams Mulani (51*) kept their side with the bat. It took Mumbai to their 47th Ranji final and their first since 2016-17.
Brief Scores: Madhya Pradesh 341 & 281 (Rajat Patidar 79, Aditya Srivastava 82, Shahbaz Ahmed 5/79) beat Bengal 273 & 175 (Abhimanyu Easwaran 78, Shahbaz Ahmed 22*, Kumar Karthikeya 5/67) by 174 runs .
Mumbai draws 393 and 533/4 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 181, Armaan Jaffer 127, Prince Yadav 2/92) against Uttar Pradesh 180 (Shivam Mavi 48, Madhav Kaushik 38, Tushar Deshpande 3/34).