Super League heading for pulsating climax

The Ranji Trophy Super League has lived up to its reputation. Not only have there been high grade performances and stirring contests but like in any top class competition, the league seems to be heading for an exciting finish. With only one round to go, only two teams have qualified for the knock out competition. So a few sides have a lot at stake for four more can qualify for the next stage.

From group A, Mumbai have made sure of a place in the knock out. With three straight wins in as many matches they have 24 points and play Bengal in their last encounter. Bengal however have everything to play for in this game, to be played in Calcutta. With 13 points from three games, they are two points ahead of reigning champions Karnataka who have played the same number of matches. So Karnataka too have something to play for in their last game against Delhi, to be played at Bangalore. On the face of it, Karnataka would seem to have the easier task for Delhi with eight points from three games have not had a memorable Super League campaign. Yet scoring an outright victory may not be easy. Karnataka would probably press for five points and hope that Bengal lose outright to Mumbai. Rajasthan, the fifth team in the group have completed their engagements with eight points.

The tightest race is in group B. Only five points separate the top four teams, all of whom are in the running for a berth in the next stage. Baroda, Punjab, Railways and Hyderabad have all played three games and have 18, 16, 14 and 13 points respectively. In the last round, Hyderabad meet Baroda at Hyderabad while Punjab play Railways at New Delhi. Baroda, despite sitting seemingly pretty, could still fail to qualify if Hyderabad were to get eight points against them and either Punjab or Railways register an outright victory. Really, anything is possible in this group. Bihar have completed a disappointing Super League campaign with three points.

In group C, Tamil Nadu has already qualified for the knock out while Uttar Pradesh is almost there. Tamil Nadu have 21 points from three games and UP 19 from the same number of matches. Interestingly enough, the two teams meet at Kanpur in the last round, while the other match is between Orissa and Haryana. The Kanpur game would serve to decide which team would top the group. Orissa, on the face of it, would seem to have something to play for with eleven points from three matches. They could be hoping for an easy outing for Haryana, who with three points from as many games have had an eminently forgettable campaign. But the fact remains that UP have beaten Orissa by ten wickets in the league. Saurashtra have completed their fixtures with eight points.

So the teams now approach the final round of games to begin on March 13 with bated breath.