Ranji Trophy 2022-23, Quarter-finals Preview: Part I

Arpit Vasavada will lead Saurashtra [Source: Twitter]

After a series of gripping contests in the group stage, the knockout matches of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 are all set to grab the attention. 

After fighting neck-to-neck, eight top-tier teams, Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Saurashtra, Punjab, Karnataka and Uttarakhand, will give their all in the quarterfinals commencing on Tuesday. 

Before the clashes begin, let's summarise the teams' journey and find the players to watch out for in the first two quarterfinals. 

Quarter-final 1: Bengal vs Jharkhand

Bengal and Jharkhand will square off in the first quarter-final in Kolkata. Both teams played ruthlessly in the group-stage, which is why we expect a nail-biting contest at the iconic Eden Gardens. 

Journey so far

Akash Deep will spearhead Bengal's pace attack [Source: Twitter]

Bengal topped the Elite Group A standings with 32 points, winning four of their seven matches. After decimating Uttar Pradesh by six wickets in their opening fixture, they followed it up with a sensational innings-victory over Nagaland. 

Although two drawn games against Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand slightly dented their knockout chances, Manoj Tiwari's troops bounced back remarkably, recording clinical victories over Baroda and Haryana. Despite losing the final group-stage encounter to Odisha, they look all sorted for the quarterfinal against Jharkhand. 

On the other hand, Jharkhand earned 23 points by winning three out of their seven group-stage matches. They started their Ranji Trophy campaign with a crushing 85-run defeat to Kerala but gained momentum soon to clinch three victories in the subsequent five games. Their phenomenal unbeaten run in five straight games helped them qualify for the knockouts despite losing the last match against Karnataka. 

Key Players

• Saurabh Tiwary (Jharkhand): 653 Runs at 59.36, Two 100s, Four 50s
• Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal): 633 Runs at 90.42, Three 100s, Two 50s
• Shahbaz Nadeem (Jharkhand): 41 Wickets at 25.82
• Akash Deep (Bengal): 25 Wickets at 22.92

Prediction

With two formidable units set to clash, we anticipate a riveting battle in the first quarterfinal. However, considering their squads on paper, we reckon Bengal will emerge victorious in this match. 

Quarter-final 2: Saurashtra vs Punjab

The road to the semifinals won't be easy for Punjab as they will face the defending champions Saurashtra in the second quarter-final in Rajkot. 

Journey so far

Mandeep Singh will lead Punjab [Source: Twitter]

Saurashtra finished second in the Elite Group B standings with 26 points by virtue of three wins in seven outings. 

They started their Ranji Trophy campaign in a shilly-shally manner, drawing two consecutive games against Assam and Maharashtra. 

However, as the season progressed, they returned to their absolute best, registering thumping victories over three top teams, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. 

They were all set to top Group B, but the shock defeats to Tamil Nadu and table-toppers Andhra Pradesh ensured they finished second in the standings. 

On the other hand, Punjab, much like their opponents, started their campaign with two drawn and one abandoned fixture. 

But when they desperately needed to peak, they bagged three successive wins to finish second behind Madhya Pradesh with 27 points to their tally. 

More importantly, Mandeep Singh and co have been undefeated so far. So, they must be inspired and try to sustain their unbeaten run in the tournament. 

Key Players

• Harvik Desai (Saurashtra): 516 Runs at 51.6, Three 100s, Two 50s
• Prabhsimran Singh (Punjab): 389 Runs at 48.62, One 100, One 50
• Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (Saurashtra): 29 Wickets at 32.03
• Baltej Singh (Punjab): 34 Wickets at 12.85

Prediction

Although Punjab have a decent team, Saurashtra will likely thrive in home conditions and win this match. 

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