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Ranji Trophy 2022-23, Semi-finals: Preview, Key Players and Prediction


image-ldud05k8M Venkatesh (Source: Twitter)

After four mouth watering quarter-final matches, we are now left with the final four teams in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2022-23 season as two semi-final matches set to commence from Wednesday, February 8th.

Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra and Karnataka are the four teams who will be in action. Let's take a quick preview of the two exciting contests ahead.

Semi-final 1: Bengal vs Madhya Pradesh

image-lducyssuBengal's highest run-scorer, Abhimanyu Easwaran (Source: Twitter)

Bengal will take on Madhya Pradesh in the first Semi-final at Holkar Stadium in Indore.

Madhya Pradesh defeated a gritty Andhra side in the quarter-final, making a tremendous comeback after conceding a 151-run deficit in the first innings. The Avesh Khan-led MP attack wrapped up Andhra for 93 in the second innings and MP went on to chase 245 in the fourth innings with five wickets in hand. The defending champions are meeting Bengal in the semi-final for the second time in two seasons and will be hoping to replicate the same performance from last year to go through to another final.

Meanwhile, Bengal had an outright win in the quarter-final, beating Jharkhand by nine wickets to book a slot in the final four. Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Ahmed and Sudip Gharami made runs with the bat, while Akash Deep emerged as the star with the ball once again. Easwaran and his men will be hoping to overcome this MP challenge, making things even from the last season and go through to the final for the second time in three seasons.

Key Players

  • Himanshu Mantri (Madhya Pradesh): 558 Runs at 42.92, Two 100s, One 50
  • Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal): 738 Runs at 92.25, Three 100s, Three 50s
  • Avesh Khan (Madhya Pradesh): 36 Wickets at 17.08
  • Akash Deep (Bengal): 31 Wickets at 21.96

Prediction

Both the teams are pretty similar considering their recent form and the team on paper. However, Madhya Pradesh, who is playing at home is expected to start this game as favorites to go through to the final.

Semi-final 2: Karnataka vs Saurashtra

image-lducxl4rTeam Saurashtra (Source: Twitter)

Karnataka will square off against Saurashtra in the second Semi-final at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Karnataka had an outright win in the quarter-final, beating Uttarakhand by an innings and 281 runs. Shreyas Gopal, who scored an unbeaten 161, was the star with the bat for Karnataka, while M Venkatesh stole the show with the ball, taking five wickets in the first innings of his debut first-class game. Karnataka, who has not had a convincing record against Saurashtra in the last few years, will be hoping to get the better of Saurashtra this time at home.

On the other hand, Saurashtra made a stunning comeback in their quarter-final fixture, beating a strong Punjab by 71 runs to seal a place in the semi-final. Parth Bhut's all-round show, a century with the bat in the first innings and eight wickets in the match, powered the 2019-20 champions to win. Saurashtra has not lost against Karnataka in their last five meetings and will be hoping to continue the same to seal a place for the summit clash.

Key Players

  • Mayank Agarwal (Karnataka): 686 Runs at 68.60, Two 100s, Five 50s
  • Arpit Vasavada (Saurashtra): 577 Runs at 57.70, Two 100s, Two 50s
  • Vijaykumar Vyshak (Karnataka): 31 Wickets at 20.41
  • Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (Saurashtra): 37 Wickets at 29.56

Prediction

Both the teams are quiet even on paper. However, with Mayank’s men playing at home and Saurashtra missing some of their big names, Karnataka is expected to win this match.

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