Ranji Trophy: Rahul, Smaran star as Karnataka overcome Mumbai

KL Rahul's 130 and Smaran Ravichandran's unbeaten 83 guided Karnataka to a four-wicket victory over Mumbai at the BKC Ground, securing their place in the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. Chasing 325, Karnataka resumed the final day needing 212 runs with eight wickets in hand. Rahul and Smaran built a crucial 147-run partnership, steering the visitors toward the target. Rahul was dismissed by Tushar Deshpande after a knock featuring 14 boundaries and a six, with the score at 266 for 4. Despite losing Shreyas Gopal and Kruthik Krishna cheaply, Vidyadhar Patil's quick unbeaten 31 off 30 balls sealed the win. Karnataka will face Uttarakhand in the semi-final.

In another match, Sudip Kumar Gharami was dismissed for 299, falling just one run short of a triple-century. His marathon innings of 596 deliveries included 31 fours and 6 sixes. He shared a 221-run partnership with Shakir Habib Gandhi, who scored 95. Mohammed Shami added a brisk 53 off 33 balls, with seven boundaries and three sixes, helping Bengal post 629 and take a 334-run lead. Shaik Rasheed took four wickets for Andhra. Facing a massive deficit, Andhra struggled in their second innings, losing three wickets for 64 runs. Their hopes now rest with Ricky Bhui and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Jammu and Kashmir made history by reaching their first Ranji Trophy semi-final, defeating Madhya Pradesh by 56 runs in Indore. After reducing MP to 76/5 overnight, Auqib Nabi Dar added two more wickets to his tally, finishing with match figures of 12 for 110. Saransh Jain fought with a valiant 64, but it wasn't enough for MP. J&K will now face the winner of the Andhra vs Bengal contest.