Ranji Trophy semi-finals: Teams, schedule, players to watch out for and all you need to know

The prestigious Ranji Trophy tournament enters the semi-final stage next week. Mumbai , Tamil Nadu, Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh have qualified for the semi-finals. While Vidarbha will host Madhya Pradesh in the first semi-final at the BCA Stadium in Nagpur, Mumbai will welcome Tamil Nadu at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC in Mumbai. Both the semi-finals will be played from 2 March, with the final slated for 10 March.

Here’s a ready reckoner ahead of both the Ranji Trophy semi-finals:

Schedule (Both semis from 2-6 March, Play starts at 9.30 am)

1st semi-final: Vidarbha vs Madhya Pradesh at VCA Stadium, Nagpur

2nd semi-final: Mumbai vs Tamil Nadu at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, Mumbai

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Teams’ form guide

Vidarbha: Vidarbha began their Ranji Trophy campaign with a seven-wicket win over Services, before clinching three more consecutive wins over Manipur and Jharkhand, and a loss to Saurashtra. Vidarbha then drew their next group game against Rajasthan, before sealing three more back-to-back victories. In the quarterfinals, Vidarbha faced Karnataka, and Atharva Taide’s century was the major highlight as the Maharashtra-based side clinched a127-run victory.

Form Guide (Last five matches): W, W, W, D, W

Mumbai: The 41-time champions began their campaign with an innings victory over Bihar, and maintained their winning streak for another four matches, before playing out a draw against Bengal. Mumbai met Baroda in the quarterfinals, and it was a memorable one courtesy Musheer Khan’s unbeaten double century in the first innings, and centuries from Hardik Tamore, Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande in the second innings. The match ended in a draw but Mumbai qualified for the semis on the basis of their first-innings lead.

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Form Guide (Last five matches): D, W, D, W, L

Madhya Pradesh: Madhya Pradesh had a mixed outing in the group stage with four wins and three draws but topped their group with 32 points. In the quarterfinals, Anubhav Agarwal would turn out to be the star as he picked six wickets in the second innings, to help them beat Andhra by four runs.

Form guide (Last five matches): W, W, W, D, W

Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu began with a heavy defeat to Gujarat in their opening group stage match but would later go onto win three consecutive wins in between two drawn matches. In the quarterfinals against Saurashtra, Sai Kishore’s all-round performance helped Tamil Nadu clinch a victory by an innings and 33 runs.

Form Guide (Last five matches): W, W, D, W, W

Players to watch out for:

Karun Nair (Vidarbha): He may not have been in the international scene for quite awhile now, but Karun Nair has notched up the runs for Vidarbha when it has mattered the most. He began the tournament with mixed outings, but refound his rhythm with a knock of 42 against Jharkhand. Karun then scored consecutive centuries against Rajasthan and Maharashtra, before playing a vital knock of 90 in the quarter-finals against Karnataka.

Shreyas Iyer (Mumbai): Shreyas Iyer has been struggling for form for India across formats, especially in Tests. Iyer managed just scores of 35, 13, 27 and 29 across the first two Tests against England, and missed the next two Tests owing to back spasm. And just a day after Iyer was ruled out of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Baroda due to back spasm, the NCA, however clarified that Iyer was “fit and available” for selection.

Iyer, who lost his BCCI central contract on Wednesday, has been included in Mumbai’s squad for the Ranji Trophy semi-finals against Tamil Nadu and will look to make amends for his failed opportunities with the national team.

Kumar Kartikeya (Madhya Pradesh): Kumar Kartikeya has been Madhya Pradesh’s standout bowler in the Ranji Trophy this season. He has racked up 38 wickets from eight matches with an economy of 2.42 and has consistently produced four-fers time after time. This also the third season in a row when Kartikeya has taken 30 wickets or more in Ranji Trophy.

R Sai Kishore (Tamil Nadu): Considered one of the biggest future prospects in Indian cricket, Sai Kishore has lived upto expectations in the Ranji Trophy. He tops the wicket-takers list in the Ranji Trophy with 47 scalps from eight matches, and this includes six four-fers and two five-fers. In the quarterfinal against Saurashtra, Sai Kishore was named Player of the Match for his figures of 5/60 and 4/27 across the two innings, apart from playing a knock of 60. He can be a deadly force to be reckoned with and Mumbai cannot take the in-form spinner lightly whatsoever.

Ranji Trophy semi-finals live streaming

Both semi-finals of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy will be broadcast LIVE on Sports18 channels (Both SD and HD). The matches can also be streamed LIVE on the JioCinema app and website.