Ranji Trophy highlights, Semi Final Day 4: J&K enter maiden final; Smaran, Rahul help Karnataka soar

Karnataka all but sealed a spot in the final of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy after another dominant day in Lucknow. R Smaran scored his second century of the game, while KL Rahul and Kruthik Krishna struck quick fifties as Karnataka dismantled a tired Uttarakhand attack. At the end of day four, they had stretched their overall lead to a mammoth 802 runs with R Smaran scoring his second century of the match while Rahul followed his century in the first innings with an unbeaten fifty.

Smaran is entering the record books after the other and with a huge six against Mayank, he now moves past Ayush Doseja to become the top run-getter in the season and also reaches 950 runs in the process for Ranji Trophy 2025-26. He gave two chances earlier, one at extra cover off Suchith and then to Mayank off his own bowling, but both went down.

Smaran then finally falls for 127. Eyeing a reverse sweep, he gloves Suchith to second slip, ending a stunning innings which included 12 fours and three sixes.

It's been a really fluent innings from Rahul, who follows up his century in the first innings with a solid fifty in the second. He gets there by slamming fast bowler Negi over long-on for six and then plays the most fluent of straight drives. Rahul is given out lbw against Mayank when he misses a sweep and is struck in the midriff, but the decision is overturned on review, with the ball going over the stumps. The very next ball, he jumps down the track and lifts Mayank for a huge six over long-on as Karnataka close in on an 800-run lead.

Smaran is meanwhile closing in on becoming the top run-getter for the season, while the partnership between Smaran and Rahul has gone past 150.

A century in each innings of a Ranji Trophy semi-final. Things can't be going any smoother for Karnataka's newest star. Smaran races through the 80s with a 4, 2 and 4 against Aditya Rawat and does it in ones and twos in the 90s. He reaches his century with a lucky thick inside-edge past his stumps leg stump against Negi. But there's been nothing lucky about this knock, which has been of the highest order. He raises his bat for the second time in the match and celebrates it by thumping Negi through covers as Karnataka's lead also moves past 750! This is Smaran's fourth century of the season. Rahul, meanwhile, is also closing in on a fifty.

It's been a ruthless batting show from the Karnataka boys and they don't seem like stopping anytime soon. Smaran races into the 70s with two fours and a two against Suchith, one a thick outside edge past slip. Rahul then jumps down the track and hammers Joshi over long-on before Smaran takes on Sudha and lifts him over long-on to move into 80s. That six also takes him past 900 runs for the season. What a time he is having in the middle!

No respite for Uttarakhand as Karnataka continue to extend their lead. Rahul came out with intent post tea, smashing Suchith straight down the track for a huge six and then jumping down the pitch and slamming Joshi on the up through covers. Smaran is also moving on tidily with the lead nearing 700. The two have already crossed the 50 stand.

R Smaran's phenomenal season continues to get better as he hits another half-century to take his season tally past the 850-mark. He is now only behind Delhi's Ayush Doseja for the highest run-scorer this Ranji season. Smaran has played 13 innings so far and has scored three fifties and four centuries. Gets to another fifty following up from his first-innings century and with that, Karnataka move to tea having extended their lead to 653!

Kruthik Krishna raises his maiden first-class half-century but falls soon after lbw to offspinner Sudha. It was a slider from around the offstump going straight through and striking Kruthik on the pad. The umpire's finger stayed down but Uttarakhand had the decision going their way on review with replays confirming that the ball would have crashed in leg stump. He departs for 55, with nine fours to his name and KL Rahul walks in finally, at No. 6. He is up and away, immediately jumping down the track and lifting his former team-mate Suchith to the left of long-on.

Smaran and Kruthik have dug in and have extended Karnataka's lead beyond the 600-mark. Kruthik, in particular, has played a number of delightful strokes, often using his feet to go down the track and over the bowler's head and driving exquisitely. Smaran has already hit a six against Avneesh Sudha before going after him again for four. The question is, how long will Karnataka bat?

Karun Nair lifts Mayank Mishra for a huge six but his innings is soon cut short by Abhay Negi. Bowling with the wicketkeeper standing up to the stumps, Negi bowls a hard length ball around off stump. Nair is cramped for room and in a bid to clear the infield, can only mistime a simple catch to Suchith. Still no Rahul or Padikkal as R Smaran walks out

The left-arm spinner is having a dream season and he now becomes the highest wicket-taker in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy with the wicket of Shreyas Gopal. It is the quicker one that does Shreyas in. Mishra slides one with the arm, breaching Shreyas' inside-edge and rapping him in front. The umpire's finger is up in a jiffy but he inexplicably reviews. DRS has the ball smashing into leg stump. Shreyas departs and takes a review with him.

No KL Rahul in yet, Karun Nair walks in next.

Out walk Mayank Agarwal and Kruthik Krishna and Karnataka are up and away quickly. So, no KL Rahul to open the innings. Think they want to give their middle order more batting opportunity before the final. Mayank gets an early life with the keeper spilling a tough catch to his right. But he can't quite make up for the miss and is caught behind, poking an Abhay Negi length ball behind just before lunch. Shreyas Gopal walks in at No. 3. Karnataka move to lunch, miles ahead.

He broke Bengal's back with a five-wicket haul in the first innings and then wrecked them in the second with a four-for. Add to that, his vital 42 in the first innings that limited Bengal's lead. This has been Auqib Nabi's match, this has been Auqib Nabi's Ranji Trophy. It comes as no surprise that he is the player of the match. "Last time we missed it in the quarters but we did all the hard work and we deserved it," Nabi said after the game.

Nabi has already picked up 55 wickets so far this season, the joint-highest for any bowler.

In what will go down as a red-letter day in Jammu & Kashmir's cricket history, they beat two-time champions Bengal by six wickets in the semi-final of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy in Kalyani to seal a historic maiden entry into the final.

Abdul Samad 82 and 30* (27), Auqib Nabi's match-haul of 9 for 123 and Vanshaj Sharma's unbeaten 43 in the second innings were the main architects of J&K's historic win in what has been a fairytale season for them.

Aditya Rawat doesn't get to his fifty with Patil removing No. 11 Janmejay Joshi for 11 and Uttarakhand have been bowled out for 233 in 88.5 overs. Rawat remains stranded on 45. Karnataka have secured an overall lead of 503 runs, but they still don't enforce the follow-on. For Karnataka, Vidyadhar Patil and Vijaykumar Vyshak picked up three wickets apiece while Shreyas Gopal had two.

J&K MAKE HISTORY! They have qualified for their maiden Ranji Trophy final, with an emphatic six-wicket win against Bengal in Kalyani. Vanshaj Sharma is the one who hits the winning shot, backing away and thumping Mukesh Kumar over his head for a huge six. The J&K players scamper to the middle, celebrating in unison. Lovely scenes from Kalyani as the players get into a huddle and are celebrating as one. They have lifted head coach on their shoulders and this is a red-letter day in J&K's cricket history.

It must be said that Abdul Samad was the difference. He came out like a breath of fresh air and in minutes, took the game out of Bengal's grasp. He smashed Shahbaz Ahmed for two huge sixes, one over long-on and one over deep extra cover. Vanshaj thumps Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal for three fours in an over to bring the target down to single digits before tonking Mukesh straight down to evoke wild celebrations in the J&K camp.

It's been a four-fest from the Uttarakhand No. 10 Aditya Rawat. He first took on the Karnataka spinner, Shetty and Shreyas cutting and pulling them. Even when Karnataka took the new ball, Rawat didn't stop. He took on Prasidh Krishna and Vidyadhar Patil and is inching towards a maiden first-class fifty with Uttarakhand now past 200.

He did it in the first innings with a whirlwind 82 off 85 balls and is threatening to repeat that in the second innings. Vanshaj first clips Mukesh Kumar fine for four and with the target below fifty, Samad goes after Akash Deep. He backs away and thumps him across the line over deep midwicket and then gets a four the next ball, taking the target below 40.

Akash Deep, who has threatened all morning and bowled his heart out, finally gets his man with the dangerous Paras Dogra caught behind. The third takes a long time to decide on the fairness of the catch but rules in favour of the fielding side.

It was a full-length ball tailing away from Dogra well outside off stump. He flirts at it and gets a thin edge to the right of the wicketkeeper Habib Gandhi. He loses the ball for a split second while diving to catch it, and that's when the confusion starts. Eventually, the right decision is reached and Dogra walks back for 9. Is there a way back for Bengal?

After Vyshak's twin strikes, Shreyas Gopal gets into the wickets, taking out Abhay Negi. It is a classical tailender's across-the-line swipe attempted by Negi. Shreyas tosses one up on off stump, Negi lines up for the big slog, gets a top-edge and Karun Nair, moving to his right from mid-on, does the rest.

Shikhar Shetty, the left-arm spinner, then gets his first wicket of the innings, taking out Mayank Mishra. The left-hander dances down the track looking to attack Shetty's tossed-up delivery outside off. Misses it altogether and is stumped. Uttarakhand are still trailing Karnataka by close to 550 runs.

In Kalyani, meanwhile, Bengal are still toiling away trying to make further inroads. Shami and Akash Deep have bowled unchanged since morning and have found plenty of purchase. Shami traps Paras Dogra on the pad with an inswinger, and up go the Bengal fielders in unison. It looked legside on first viewing but Bengal are desperate. They opt for the review and, indeed, the ball was missing leg stump.

It hasn't been easy for Dogra since morning. Shami first induced a thick outside edge off his blade that fell juuuust short of second slip, while Akash Deep also got him to edge with the ball falling short again. Akash Deep has tested Dogra with a few short balls, and while he has seemed awkward, he has dug in. Slowly, but surely, J&K are inching towards that maiden final spot.

It's been a sensational start for the Karnataka boys, with Vijaykumar Vyshak removing both overnight batters with absolute peaches. He goes full, veering away from Saurabh Rawat well outside off stump. Rawat looks for a drive on the up, gets a thick outside edge and Smaran under the helmet close in at second slip, takes a lovely low catch.

Vyshak then sends back Lakshya Raichandani with an absolute jaffa. Coming in from wide of the crease, he lands the ball on off and gets it to shape back into the batter, who plays down the wrong line and sees his off pole go for a walk. Raichandani falls for 55 and Uttarakhand are now seven down and still trailing Karnataka by more than 550 runs.

Bengal are not making it easy for J&K as Mohammed Shami strikes early on day four. More importantly, it is the wicket of the set Shubham Pundir, who had looked solid on the evening of day three. Shami and Akash Deep open the bowling on day four and get plenty of assistance immediately, beating Pundir and Vanshaj Sharma's bat on a number of occasions.

Pundir clips Akash Deep for four through midwicket to keep the scoreboard ticking along but Shami soon sends back J&K's No. 3 with a peach. From the around-the-wicket angle, he lands on off and gets it to hoop back into Pundir. The batter looks for a drive on the up, gets nowhere near the ball and is cleaned up. Can Bengal find a way back with quick strikes?

It's one way street in the other semi-final in Lucknow, with Karnataka notching up 736 and leaving Uttarakhand 149 for 5, still a mammoth 587 runs behind on day three. How many can Uttarakhand get on the fourth day?