Bengal beat Madhya Pradesh in the Semi-Final of the Ranji trophy 2022-23 and qualified for the Final. On the other hand, Saurashtra beat Karnataka in the second Semi-Final and became the second team to qualify for the Final. They also met in the Final of 2019-20. The Final of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy will be on the 16th of February.
Ranji Trophy 2022-23 - Semi-Final:1
Bengal vs Madhya Pradesh
Bengal played the first Semi-Final against Madhya Pradesh at Holkar Stadium in Indore. Bengal Captain Manoj Tiwary won the toss and elected to bat first. Sudip Kumar Gharami (112) and Anustup Majumdar(120) led the batting order with a brilliant partnership. Skipper Manoj Tiwary (42) played a crucial role to continue the momentum and Abishek Porel's half-century did the rest to end the 1st Innings. Bengal put up a total of 438 in the first innings.
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Madhya Pradesh struggled right from the start. Akash Deep claimed 5 crucial wickets and destroyed the batting order of MP. They were bowled out for only 170 runs in the first innings. Manoj Tiwary's team got the lead of 268 runs. Anustup Majumdar once again impressed the fans by scoring an important 80 runs in the 2nd innings. Bengal scored 279 runs and gave the target of 548 runs.
Rajat Patidar tried his best but everyone except him failed to build a partnership. Pradipta Pramanik claimed 5 wickets and as a result, Madhya Pradesh failed to chase the total and lost the match by record 306 runs.
Ranji Trophy - Semi-Final: 2
Saurashtra vs Karnataka
Saurashtra played the second Semi-Final against Karnataka at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Saurashtra skipper Arpit Vasapada won the toss & elected to bowl first. Karnataka lost their two early wickets but skipper Mayank Agarwal fought till the end. He scored 249 runs and carried the team on his shoulders.
Sheldon Jackson's (160) & Arpit Vasavada's (202) partnership set the tone for the Saurashtra Team in the 1st Innings. They put up a total of 527 runs and took the lead of 120. Vidhwath Kaverappa took 5 wickets for Karnataka.
Mayank Agarwal scored a half-century and Nikin Jose scored a brilliant century to build the 2nd innings. Although, Chetan Sakariya's 4 wickets spell helped Saurashtra to bowl out Karnataka for only 234 runs. Saurashtra got a target of 115 runs but lost their top-order wickets too early. Skipper Arpit Vasavada's vital 47 runs knock gave the surety for the ticket to the finals.
Ranji Trophy 2022-23 Final:
Finalists - Bengal & Saurashtra
Venue - Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date & Time - 16th February 2023 from 9:30 AM (IST)
Where to Watch Live - Star Sports Network & Hotstar