Ranji blog: Rahane, Gaikwad hit tons; 25 wickets tumble in Tinsukia

Solanki, Sheth bail Baroda out against Andhra in Vizianagaram

Mavi, Nigam help UP dismiss Odisha for 243 in Kanpur

Jharkhand openers start well against Vidarbha in rainy Nagpur

Vimal Khumar, Paul tons lead TN's dominance against Nagaland in Bengaluru

Gaikwad ton guides Maharashtra to 313 against Chandigarh in Chandigarh

Ravindra Jadeja scores 36 for Saurashtra against MP in Rajkot

Harnoor Singh tons up for Punjab on attritional day vs Kerala in New Chandigarh

Karun Nair revives Karnataka against Goa in Shimoga.

Bengal, Gujarat trade blows in Kolkata

Services claim two hat-tricks on 25-wicket day against Assam in Tinsukia

Haryana pull ahead against Tripura on 18-wicket day in Rohtak

Railways make slow but steady progress against Uttarakhand in Ramnagar.

Hyderabad boss Puducherry in Puducherry

Rahane's ton headlines Mumbai's innings against Chhattisgarh in Mumbai

Jammu and Kashmir dismiss Rajasthan for 152 in Srinagar

Delhi come out on top against HP in Delhi

On a bizarre day, where 25 wickets tumbled overall, Services' Arjun Sharma and Mohit Jangra bagged hat-tricks for Services in the first innings. Their strikes helped Services bundle Assam out for 103 in 17.2 overs. In response, Services collapsed, too, but managed to snatch a five-run first-innings lead, despite a five-for from Parag. Parag then was part of another batting meltdown, with Assam finishing day one on 56 for 5 in their second innings.

When Smaran fell, Karnataka were in a spot of bother at 65 for 4, but Karun Nair has propped Karnataka up with a timely half-century. It's his second fifty-plus score in two Ranji games upon returning to his home state. Shreyas Gopal is nearing a half-century of his own as Karnataka regain lost ground against Goa in Shimoga.

Gaikwad's century is carrying Maharashtra towards 300. This is his second century in this domestic season after posting 184 for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy. Ranji Trophy's marathon man Jalaj Saxena is gone for 1, but Gaikwad has Vicky Ostwal for company. Ostwal can bat and has even opened the batting in the 20-overs Maharashtra Premier Legaue.

After losing their season-opener to Jharkhand in Coimbatore, TN are on the hunt for maximum points against Nagaland in Bengaluru. They are 334 for 1 in 74 overs. Debutant keeper-batter SR Athish departed for 14 off 24 balls, but Vimal Khumar, the other opener, and Pradosh Ranjan Paul have knocked off centuries to lead TN's dominance.

Vimal, in fact, is on the verge of converting his maiden first-class century into a double-ton. He's rated highly by R Ashwin, his captain at Dindigul Dragons in the TNPL, and works closely with his state-mate and club-mate B Indrajith. He has come in place of B Sachin, who is down with illness, and has seized his chance. With Sai Kishore back from injury, TN will look at bat big and push for an innings victory.

Right, Jadeja's knock has been cut short on 36 by Kumar Kartikeya. Saurashtra slip to 211 for 5 in Rajkot. Kartikeya has put in a fine shift for MP, taking four wickets in 18 runs while conceding 61 runs. Fast bowler Kuldeep Sen took the other wicket to fall.

He watched Lad and Sarfaraz fall around him after tea, but the wobble hasn't stopped Rahane from going to a century on a BKC pitch that has offered something for both pace and spin. Rahane gets there with a well-controlled dab with soft hands past Sanjeet Desai at slip. It's his 42nd first-class century. Rahane points his finger at the Mumbai dressing room and suggests he's there for the team. The 37-year-old is still going strong in domestic cricket. Elsewhere in Rajkot, Ravindra Jadeja is approaching a half-century against MP.

Forgettable outing for Sarfaraz Khan after his non-selection for India and India A. He lasts all of six balls after Lad had departed for 20. Gone for 1. Sarfaraz stretches out for a weak flick and ends up chipping a catch to the left of short midwicket off a fairly innocuous delivery from left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate. He's given it away at the BKC. Chhattisgarh prise out two wickets after the tea break. Rahane, meanwhile, is still in the nineties

After his non-selection for the ongoing ODI series in Australia, Jadeja returns to the Ranji Trophy and has run away to 30 off 26 balls from No.5 against MP in Rajkot. He has already hit four fours and a six. Saurashtra are 186 for 3 in 56 overs. Chirag Jani had set up the innings for Saurashtra with 82 before falling to Kumar Kartikeya.

Kartikeya has collected two wickets for MP, with fast bowler Kuldeep Sen taking the other wicket to fall.

After shooting Assam out for 103 in 17.2 overs in Tinsukia, Services suffered a collapse of their own but have managed to snatch a five-run lead. Irfan Ali's half-century trumps Parag's five as Services pull just ahead before the 20th wicket of the day falls.

Two hat-tricks and the lead. Services couldn't have asked for a better start to this round.

Having knocked off a fifty in the morning, Rahane is moving towards a century. He enters the 80s with a nifty paddle sweep off left-arm spinner Ajay Mandal. The BKC surface has offered grip and turn but Rahane has countered the conditions and Chhattisgarh's spinners. Lad has also passed fifty, Mumbai are 166 for 3 in 55 overs.

After being asked to bat in rainy Shimoga, Karnataka have slipped to 47 for 3. Captain Mayank Agarwal is the latest to depart for 28 off 68 balls. This is former Karnataka seamer V Koushik's first wicket for Goa. He takes out his former captain. Earlier in the day, Arjun Tendulkar had dismissed Nikin Jose and KL Shrijith.

The old pro Karun Nair joins young gun R Smaran at the crease.

After stumbling to 69 for 3 and then 83 for 4, Maharashtra have recovered to 164 for 4 in the 43rd over, thanks to Ruturaj Gaikwad's fifty from No.4. Saurabh Nawale, who played for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy, is keeping Gaikwad good company in Chandigarh.

After suffering an elbow injury during the IPL and then pulling out of his county stint for personal reasons, Gaikwad has started the Indian domestic season strongly. This is his fourth fifty-plus score in seven innings across the Duleep and Ranji Trophy. Can he convert this into a big one?

After opting to bat, Baroda have stumbled to 76 for 6 against Andhra in Vizianagaram. Andhra captain Ricky Bhui and coach Gary Stead, the former NZ coach, will be pleased with this effort. Seamer K Saiteja has bagged four wickets on his first-class debut while spinner T Vijay has picked up the other two Baroda wickets to fall. Vijay is part of Delhi Capitals in the IPL and had bagged a ten-wicket match haul at this very venue against Rajasthan in January earlier this year.

Baroda captain Vishnu Solanki has stood out amid the collapse, and is on the verge of bringing up a fifty. It's currently raining in Vizianagaram with Baroda on 137 for 6.

After being skittled for 103 in 17.2 overs in Tinsukia, Assam hit back to spark a Services collapse. In response, Services are 41 for 6, with Parag taking five of the six wickets to fall. Operating with the new ball, Parag now has figures of 7-1-17-5. He also claimed the wicket of Arjun Sharma, who had picked up a hat-trick earlier in the day.

Sampath Bandarupalli, our stats king, has this for you:

Kerala vice-captain B Aparajith bowled Prabhsimran Singh for 23 in the morning session, but former Under-19 stars Harnoor Singh and Uday Saharan have steadied Punjab since with an unbroken half-century partnership in New Chandigarh. Harnoor has passed a fifty of his own and is eyeing a maiden Ranji hundred. Harnoor was a reserve player at Punjab Kings in IPL 2025

Jammu & Kashmir have reduced Rajasthan to 66 for 5 in Srinagar. Auqib Navi, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Sunil Kumar and Abid Mushtaq share the spoils for J&K. Umran Malik is yet to get on the wickets column; he has bowled four overs so far, conceding ten runs.

Capitan Mahipal Lomror and Kartik Sharma, who has trialled with a number of IPL franchises, are out in the middle. Manav Suthar can also contribute with the bat for Rajasthan but before that they need a stable stand from Lomror and Kartik.

Yes, you read that right!

Arjun Sharma and Mohit Jangra bag hat-tricks for Services, dismissing Assam for 103 in 17.2 overs.

After Arjun claimed the first hat-trick before lunch, Jangra emulates him after the break, snagging Pradyun Saikia, Mukhtar Hussain and Bhargab Pratim Lakhar across the 15th and 17 overs.

Sampath Bandarupaulli, our stats king, confirms that this is the second instance of two hat-tricks in a Ranji innings. Joginder Rao, also from Services, took two hat-tricks in Northern Punjab's second innings in 1963.

Arjun finishes with 5 for 46 while Jangra comes away with 3 for 5. All action in Tinsukia as Assam are bowled out within 20 overs.

Saikia, who top-scored with 52 off 42, and Parag, were the only Assam batters to pass 15.

Rahane has rescued Mumbai with a fine half-century after they had lost three wickets in the first hour against Chhattisgarh. The former Mumbai captain gets to the landmark with a ramped four off Majumdar. He gets up on his toes, meets the short ball and lifts it to the third-man fence. A pat on the back from Lad is also part of the celebrations. Rahane has reached the landmark off 78 balls, with 32 of the 52 runs he's scored so far coming via boundaries. Rahane looks good for even more.

However, no signs of Sarfaraz Khan yet. He has been demoted to No.6. With the ball nipping around earlier in the morning, Himanshu Singh was promoted to No.4 as a pinch-blocker or pinch-hitter. But the move didn't work for Mumbai, with Himanshu falling lbw for a duck. Rahane has steadied Mumbai since in the company of Lad at the BKC.

Mumbai are 97 for 3 at lunch, with both Rahane and Lad unbeaten.

IPL and DPL star Priyansh Arya has been benched for a second successive game. He's also hit a century for India A in List A cricket, and is waiting to make his Ranji Trophy debut. Arpit Rana, who was picked ahead of Arya, has had a rough initiation into the Ranji Trophy, scoring 84 runs in eight innings at an average of 10.50 before Saturday. Rana, though, steps up today, scoring his maiden half-century. Delhi are 93 for 0 in 32 overs against HP in Delhi.

Services rip through Assam in Tinsukia, leaving them at 63 for 5 at lunch. Left-arm fingerspinner Arjun Sharma bagged a hat-trick in the 12th over, dismissing Riyan Parag, Sumit Ghadigaonkar and Sibsankar Roy. Opener Pradyun Saikia has survived, going to the break unbeaten on 26 off 32 balls.

Parag also counterattacked, racing to 36 off 30 before he became Arjun's first victim. Uphill task ahead for Assam.

After a rain delay in Shimoga, play gets underway. Former Karnataka seamer V Koushik is operating with the new ball, alongside Arjun Tendulkar, for Goa against Karnataka. After missing the opening round for personal reasons, Koushik makes his Goa debut against his home state. Former Karnataka seamer Dodda Ganesh is also part of Goa's coaching staff. Rain has been forecast for all four days in Shimoga.

Padikkal misses out for Karnataka as he is set to join the India A squad for the forthcoming series against SA A in Bengaluru.

UP fast bowler Shivam Mavi struck twice with the new ball, helping them reduce Odisha to 36 for 3 in 15 overs. After Mavi accounted for both openers Swastik Samal and Aashirwad Swain, Kunal Tyagi removed Odisha skipper Subhranshu Senapati. So, UP have claimed the early honours in their home fixture at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

ICYMI: Daya Sagar and Shashank Kishore spoke to Mavi recently about his road back from injury.

After electing to bat in Rajkot, Saurashtra have moved past 50 in 17 overs with all their ten wickets in tact. Wicketkeeper-opener Harvik Desai and Chirag Jani have given them a steady start. While Ravindra Jadeja is featuring in this round, the other Jadeja - Dharmendrasinh - has missed out.

Chhattisgarh's professionals make early inroads for their team at the BKC in Mumbai. Aditya Sarwate landed the first blow when he drew a return catch from Musheer Khan, sending him back for 12 off 31 balls. Sarwate, a former Ranji winner with Vidarbha, moved from Kerala to Chhattisgarh ahead of this season.

Ravi Kiran then pinned Raghuvanshi lbw for 9 off 30 balls. As I type, Ravi Kiran strikes in similar fashion, having Himanshu Singh lbw for 0. Mumbai are 38 for 3 in 14 overs.

Lad joins former captain Rahane, who has run away to a quickish start, in the middle. Lad had scored a century for Mumbai in their opening fixture against J&K.

Bengal were jolted early when they lost Chatterjee, but their captain Easwaran and Gharami have steadied them with a half-century stand on the first morning of the second round. Easwaran raises the fifty stand with a tickled four fine on the leg side. He is now on 18* on 45 balls. At the other end, Gharami has taken more chances and is on 32* on 41 balls.

Openers Tanmay Agarwal and Abhirath Reddy have handed Hyderabad a good start against Puducherry at the CAP ground 2. Hyderabad are 42 for 0 in the 12th over, with Agarwal on 28 off 47 balls. Agarwal earned his maiden Duleep Trophy call-up after racking up 934 runs in 12 innings at an average of 77.83 in the previous season. Only Vidarbha's Yash Rathod and MP's Shubham Sharma had scored more runs than Agarwal in the 2024-25 Ranji season.

After being asked to bat first in Chandigarh, Maharashtra have lost Prithvi Shaw for 8 off 9 balls in the third over. Seamer Jagjit Singh Sandhu claims the key wicket. Allrounder Arshin Kulkarni has run away to a run-a-ball 18 with Siddhesh Veer for company.

On his Ranji debut for Maharashtra, Shaw had made 0 and 75 against Kerala, helping Maharashtra walk away with three points against last season's runners-up.

Having won the toss and opted to bat at the BKC, Chhattisgarh are posing a threat to Mumbai's openers with the new ball. Both Ravi Kiran, Chhattisgarh's professional, and Sourabh Majumdar are getting the ball to hoop around. After Ravi Kiran got one to slant in and then swerve away to beat the outside edge of Raghuvanshi, Majumdar has the batter almost chopping on in the next over with an inducker. Can Raghuvanshi and Musheer overcome this new-ball challenge at home?

After being asked to bat first at Eden Gardens, Bengal lost Sudip Chatterjee in the fourth over, when the opener nicked Chintan Gaja behind to Urvil Pater, the keeper, for 3 off 12 balls. Abhimanyu Easwaran, the other opener and captain, has been much tighter, defending with a straightish bat and leaving deliveries outside off. Sudip Gharami, meanwhile, has opened his account with a neat flick for four.

Allrounder Shahbaz Ahmed, btw, is back in action after recovering from sports hernia. He has played competitive cricket in May during IPL 2025 for Lucknow Super Giants.

TN don't have N Jagadeesan for this round - he will join the India A side for the unofficial Test series against SA A - but they welcome back their regular captain and premier spinner R Sai Kishore. His return is a boost for TN after they lost their opener to Jhakhand at home in Coimbatore.

Having hurt his hand during a club game in Chennai, Sai Kishore underwent surgery after consulting with a specialist and is good to go now. He had missed the Duleep Trophy and pre-season Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai.

It's understood that Sai Kishore tested his fitness at the nets in Coimbatore during the first round of the Ranji Trophy and is ready to withstand the load of competitive cricket. This will be his first competitive match since his county stint in July earlier this year. Sai Kishore, though, will have to do without his spin twin S Ajith Ram, who is down with an ACL injury.

This is the opinion of Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur.

"Nowadays, for the India A side they look at boys, who they want to prepare for international cricket," Thakur said in Mumbai ahead of the second round of Ranji Trophy starting on Saturday. "Sarfaraz doesn't need India A game to play international cricket. If he gets back to scoring again, he can straightaway go and play Test series also."

Sarfaraz, who made his Test debut against England in early 2024, was a part of India's tour of Australia late last year but he has since been left out of the Test side. He was also not picked in the India A side for the forthcoming series against SA A.

Parvez Rasool, the first player from Jammu & Kashmir to play international cricket for India, announced his retirement from representative cricket earlier this week. Rasool, now 36, played two white-ball internationals for India and represented Pune Warriors and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.

“It’s been an incredible journey, one filled with dreams, hard work, joy, and countless memories that I will cherish forever," Rasool posted on social media. "From local grounds to representing my team and my country, In cricket Allah has given me everything I ever wished for. Thankful to my family, coaches, teammates, and fans for their love, trust, and constant support throughout this journey. Every moment I’ve spent on the field has been an honour and a blessing.”

Rasool, an offspin-bowling allrounder, is a domestic stalwart for Jammu & Kashmir. He played 75 first-class games for J&K, scoring 4694 runs to go with 249 wickets. He captained J&K in 47 games and led them to the quarter-finals in 2013-14 and more recently in 2019-20.

J&K's future is in safe hands now. Aquib Navi, who dismissed Karun Nair in that quarter-final, has now graduated to the India A level while Abdul Samad, who crashed 43 off 50 balls in the first innings, is an IPL regular and is working on a new approach in first-class cricket.