The Semi-finals stage of 2017/18 edition of Ranji Trophy started today. Bengal took on Delhi at MCA Stadium, Pune. Bengal won the toss and batted first. Sudeep Chatterjee was the top scorer for Bengal with 83 while WB Chatterjee scored 47. Captain Manoj Tiwary and Majumdar made 30’s. Delhi restricted Bengal to 269 for 7 in 87 overs.
The second semi-finals between Karnataka and Vidarbha are proving to be an interesting battle. Vidarbha captain Faiz Faizal won the toss, batted first. Mithun took 5 wickets and other Karnataka bowlers showed great discipline. Karnataka bowled out Vidarbha for 185. In reply, Vidarbha bowlers came back well and have ended day 1 on 36 for 3.
1st Semi-finals: Bengal vs. Delhi (MCA Stadium, Pune)
In the first semi-finals, Bengal took on Delhi at the MCA Stadium, Pune. Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary won the toss and elected to bat. Sudeep Chatterjee and WB Chatterjee added 78 runs for the 3rd wicket. Captain Manoj Tiwary (32) and Majumdar(30) got starts but could not convert into big scores. From 200 to 4, Delhi bowlers made an excellent comeback, restricting Bengal to 269 for 7.
Bengal 269 for 7 in 87 overs ( Sudeep Chatterjee 83, WB Chatterjee 47, Manan Sharma 2/37, NA Saini 2/45)
2nd Semi-finals- Karnataka vs. Vidarbha ( Eden Garden’s, Kolkata)
In the second semi-finals played at Eden Garden’s, Kolkata Vidarbha captain Faiz Faizal won the toss and elected to bat. It was a great bowling display by Karnataka bowlers who took the first wicket at the score of 22. Wasim Jaffer, Ganesh Satish scored 39 and 30 respectively. Captain Vinay Kumar picked opposition captain Faiz Faizal. Sarwate was the top scorer with quickfire 47. After the tea break, Karnataka bowled out Vidarbha for 184. Abhimanyu Mithun broke the backbone of Vidarbha batting line up taking 5 for 45.
Vidarbha bowlers struck back with 3 top order batsmen. Karnataka ended the first day on 36 for 3. Mayank Agarwal, R Samarth, and D Nischal. Gurbani took 2 wickets while Umesh Yadav was the other bowler with 1 wicket.
Karnataka 36 for 3 in 15 overs ( Mayank Agarwal 15, Karun Nair 6*, CM Gautam 9*, Gurbani 2/ 9) trail Vidarbha 184 in 61.4 overs ( Sarwate 47, Wasim Jaffer 39, Mithun 5/45) by 149 runs.