It was the beginning of knockouts stages in Ranji Trophy 2017/18 season. Karnataka took on Mumbai in the first quarter at Nagpur, defending Champions Gujarat faced Bengal, Delhi faced Madhya Pradesh at Vijayawada. The first time quarterfinalist Kerala took on Vidarbha at Surat.
Defending Champions Gujarat took on Bengal at Jaipur. Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel won the toss and fielded first. Easwaran 129 and Majmudar 94 helped Bengal reach 261 for 6 at the end of day 1. Bengal lost 4 early wickets at the score of 59. The duo of Easwaran and Majmudar added 175 runs for the 5th wicket. Bengal ended the first day on 261 for 6.
The second quarterfinals looked an interesting match with Madhya Pradesh taking on Delhi at Vijayawada. Delhi captain Risbabh Pant won the toss and invited MP into bat. AS Dane was the top scorer for MP with 59. Naman Ojha made 49 while Harpreet Singh remained not out on 47. For Delhi, Vikas Mishra was the pick of bowlers with 3 wickets. MP ended the first day on 223 for 6.
After a long delay due to a wet outfield at Surat, Vidarbha captain Faiz Faizal won the toss and batted first. It was not a good decision as Vidarbha lost 3 big wickets of Faiz, Jaffer, and Sanjay. Vidarbha ended day 1 on 45 for 3. Young KC Akshay grabbed 2 and Nidheesh 1.
Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar won the toss and elected to field first. He ripped the top order of Mumbai batting line up, bowled with great control taking a hat-trick. Playing his 100th match, Kumar finished with 6 wickets. Dhawal Kulkarni played a counter attacking knock of 75 which helped 41-time champions Mumbai to post 173. In reply, Karnataka has ended on 115 for 1 with Mayank Agarwal among runs with 62 not out.
1st quarterfinals Bengal vs. Gujarat ( Jaipur)
Defending Champions Gujarat took on Bengal at Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur. Bengal got off to a worse start losing 4 wickets for just 59 runs. The duo of Easwaran and Majumdar steadied the innings putting on 175 runs. Easwaran scored 129 while Majumdar made 94. For Gujarat, CT Gaja took 2 wickets and IH Chaudhary picked 3 wickets. Bengal ended day 1 on 261 for 6.
Bengal 261 for 6 in 86 overs ( Easwaran 129, Majumdar 94, IH Chaudhary 3/49, CT Gaja 2/75)
2nd quarterfinals Delhi vs. Madhya Pradesh ( Vijayawada)
Madhya Pradesh took on Delhi in the 2nd quarterfinals played at Vijayawada. Delhi captain Pant won the toss and invited MP to bat. AS Dane was top scorer with 59 runs. Naman Ojha scored 49 while Harpreet Singh remained not out on 47. For Delhi, Vikas Mishra took 3 wickets.
Madhya Pradesh 223 for 6 in 90 overs ( AS Dane 59, Naman Ojha 49, Harpreet Singh 47*, Vikas Mishra 3/40)
3rd quarterfinals Kerala vs. Vidarbha ( Surat)
After a long rain delay at Surat, Vidarbha won the toss in the 3rd session and elected to bat. Kerala bowlers created pressure on Vidarbha batsmen and took 3 wickets. Vidarbha ended the day on 45 for 3 in 24 overs. KC Akshay took 2 wickets while Nidheesh picked 1 wicket
Vidarbha 45 for 3 in 24 overs ( RR Sanjay 17, KC Akshay 2/14)
4th quarterfinals Karnataka vs. Mumbai ( Nagpur)
Karnataka took on 41-time champions Mumbai at VCA Stadium, Nagpur. Vinay Kumar won the toss and invited Mumbai to bat. The captain Vinay Kumar broke the batting line up and also took a hat-trick. For Mumbai, Herdwarkar made 32 and Dhawal Kulkarni was top scorer with 75. In reply, Karnataka has responded strongly with 115 for 1.
Karnataka 115 for 1 in 29 overs ( Mayank Agarwal 62*, R Samarth 40) trail Mumbai 173 in 56 overs ( Dhawal Kulkarni 75, Herwadkar 32, Vinay Kumar 6/34) by 58 runs.
