The bumper group stages of Ranji Trophy will come to a close, starting on Monday, with the final round of fixtures of starting and only one out of the eight quarter-final spots at stake have been decided, leaving plenty of room for surprises.
Rajashtan, from Elite Group C, are the only team to have guaranteed their spot in the last eight so far.
From this year, five teams from combined A and B Elite Groups, two teams from Group C and one team from Plate group will go to the last eight of India’s premier domestic tournament.
Scoring system remains the same, with an outright win earning six points (bonus point if by an innings or 10-wicket margin), a draw with a first innings lead results in three points, a draw otherwise yields one point.
Groups A and B
Here’s where all the interest would lie with 10 teams in contention for the five available spots.
Current champions Vidarbha and domestic giants Karnataka are still in the running to make it to the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy and should be able to avoid any hiccups.
At present, Vidarbha are sitting on top of the combined A and B Groups’ standings with 28 points, while Karnataka are at the second spot with 27 points. Gujarat and Saurashtra are at the third and fourth place respectively with 26 points each while Madhya Pradesh, from Group B, are at the fifth position with 24 points.
Elite Group A and B (combined)
| Team | Mat | Win-Loss-Draw | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vidarbha | 7 | 3-0-4 | 28 |
| Karnataka | 7 | 3-1-3 | 27 |
| Gujarat | 8 | 3-0-5 | 26 |
| Saurashtra | 7 | 3-0-4 | 26 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 7 | 3-1-3 | 24 |
| Himachal | 7 | 3-2-2 | 22 |
| Bengal | 7 | 2-1-4 | 22 |
| Kerala | 7 | 3-3-1 | 20 |
| Baroda | 7 | 2-1-4 | 20 |
| Punjab | 7 | 2-1-4 | 20 |
Baroda, sitting at the ninth spot, would be aiming for an outright win against Karnataka in Vadodara, to keep their chances alive of making it to the quarter-finals.
If Karnataka post a win against Baroda, then their passage to the quarters will be easy. The same thing will apply to Vidarbha when they clash with Saurashtra, in Rajkot.
Both the teams will expectedly go full throttle and aim for a win as a victory will boost their chances of making it to the last eight.
Vidarbha will be bolstered after having defeated 41-time Ranji champions Mumbai by an innings in their last game at Nagpur and knocking out the latter from the quarter-finals reckoning. With veteran Wasim Jaffer scoring with consistency and spinners Akshay Wakhare and Aditya Sarvate in full form, Vidarbha are favourites to beat Saurashtra.
But, given the format, the final standings also depends on results of Group B matches.
Gujarat, 2016-17 champions, are in a precarious position because they are not in action having already played all their 8 matches. They are third currently, but will be watching the proceedings nervously. Saurashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Baroda and two among Kerala, Bengal, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh can overtake them.
Saurashtra, MP and Himachal Pradesh can all progress with an outright win.
Bengal and Punjab go up against each other with both teams desperate for an outright win to stand any chance of progressing. Shubman Gill’s irresistible run of form offers hope for Punjab but they will be dependent on other results even with a win.
Meanwhile, the remaining two matches of the Elite A Group - Mumbai versus Chhattisgarh to be played here at the Wankhede Stadium and Railways versus Maharashtra at the Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi - are inconsequential.
All these teams are lying well below in the combined A and B Group standings and are already out of the reckoning to enter the last eight stage. Mumbai will also be looking to put a spirited show to avoid relegation to Group C.
This has been a disastrous season for Mumbai as they have failed to register a single outright win. Their batsman have been out of form and bowlers have been mediocre, too.
Group A and Group B fixtures:
Elite, Group A, at Vadodara: Baroda vs Karnataka
Elite, Group A, at Mumbai: Mumbai vs Chhattisgarh
Elite, Group A, at Delhi: Railways vs Maharashtra
Elite, Group A, at Rajkot: Saurashtra vs Vidarbha
Elite, Group B, at Kolkata: Bengal vs Punjab
Elite, Group B, at Nadaun: Himachal Pradesh vs Kerala
Elite, Group B, at Indore: Madhya Pradesh vs Andhra
Elite, Group B, at Chennai: TN vs Delhi
Group C
With Rajasthan assured safe passage, it comes down to UP and Jharkand in this group.
Elite Group C
| Team | Mat | Win-Loss-Draw | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajasthan - QUALIFIED | 8 | 6-0-2 | 44 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 8 | 5-0-3 | 38 |
| Jharkhand | 8 | 4-1-3 | 33 |
Jharkand can qualify only if Uttar Pradesh lose their last round fixture against Assam. UP can progress with a win or a three-point draw.
Relevant fixtures:
Elite, Group C, at Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh vs Assam
Elite, Group C, at Jammu: Jammu & Kashmir vs Jharkhand
Plate Group
With only one spot available, three teams are still in contention progress.
Plate Group
| Team | Mat | Win-Loss-Draw | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttarakhand | 7 | 5-0-2 | 37 |
| Bihar | 7 | 5-1-1 | 34 |
| Cricket Association Of Pondicherry | 7 | 4-0-3 | 32 |
Uttarakhand are the best placed, with a win guaranteeing progress. Bihar will be hot on their heels, however, should they fail to win. Puducherry will have to hope for a win and both those teams to falter.
Relevant fixtures:
Plate Group, at Patna: Bihar vs Manipur
Plate Group, at Dimapur: Puducherry vs Nagaland
Plate Group, at Dehra Dun: Uttarakhand vs Mizoram
For team-by-team qualification scenarios, head here to find out more.
(With PTI inputs)