The race to the Ranji Trophy knockouts seems tight going into the final round of matches. Vidarbha are through, but seven spots are still up for grabs.Group ATable toppers Jammu & Kashmir need just one point to qualify. They can achieve this with a drawn fixture against Baroda that will take them to 30 points.Baroda need at least a first-innings lead to go to 30 points, in which case Mumbai can’t catch them even if they beat Meghalaya with a bonus point.Related
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Mumbai need seven full points, and ideally hope Baroda vs J&K ends decisively either way. In such a scenario, they can pip one of Baroda or J&K and be the second team to qualify from the group. If Baroda vs J&K is drawn, Mumbai will have to hope J&K, whom they lost to last week, take the lead.Essentially, Mumbai’s qualification hinges on the Baroda vs J&K result even if they get the full seven points which they’re expected to.Watch out for: Baroda vs J&KGroup BThings are less complex in this group. With five wins in six games, Vidarbha are through. A virtual knockout between Gujarat and Himachal will determine the second qualifier. Gujarat are currently second on 26 points and will be through with a draw. Himachal have a simple equation: win and pip Gujarat to the quarterfinals.Watch out for: Gujarat vs HimachalGroup CTable-toppers Haryana need one point against a resurgent Karnataka.They can qualify even with an outright defeat, but it’s a route that they wouldn’t want to take. In any case, hoping for Bihar to beat Kerala in Kerala seems outlandish given Bihar have five losses in six games.Kerala face the simple task of winning and securing themselves a spot. Even a lead may do, if Karnataka vs Haryana ends in a draw.Karnataka need a bonus-point win•KSCA
For 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy champions Karnataka, buoyed by KL Rahul’s return, nothing but a bonus-point win will suffice. If they manage to achieve this, they will have knocked out Haryana despite being equal on 26, because they will have had one less bonus point.Watch out for: Karnataka vs HaryanaGroup DA superb win over Chandigarh last week has vaulted Tamil Nadu to the top spot with 25 points. A draw against Jharkhand will see them through. A loss will put them on a sticky wicket as Chandigarh and Saurashtra can leapfrog them on points.Chandigarh have stuttered lately. After losing outright in their season opener to Railways, they went on a bull run of three back-to-back wins, but two outright defeats to Saurashtra and TN leave them with having to do the heavy lifting in the final round. Only a win with a bonus point (which will take them to 26) will help them to steer clear of Saurashtra.Saurashtra needed two bonus-point wins to put themselves in the reckoning prior to the Ranji season resuming. They got one against Delhi last week on a rank turner at home with Ravindra Jadeja picking 12 wickets. Jadeja will likely have another massive say on what is believed to be another Rajkot turner against Assam, who will be boosted by the return of Riyan Parag from a shoulder injury.A bonus-point win will see them through. Only a lead will leave them tempting fate – they’ll need Chhattisgarh to beat Chandigarh. An outright win without a bonus point will leave them hoping Chandigarh v Chhattisgarh ends in a draw.Delhi and Railways – who will garner a lot of eyeballs courtesy Virat Kohli’s Ranji return after 12 years – are also in with an outside chance. They’ll need a bonus-point win and a host of other results to go their way.Watch out for: Saurashtra vs Assam and Delhi vs Railways