Ranji Trophy: Jalaj Saxena with five for Kerala’s innings win over Odisha; Mumbai’s second win with bonus points

Jalaj Saxena (file photo) Veteran all-rounder Jalaj Saxena took five wickets as Kerala bowled out Odisha for 143 in their second innings to seal an innings and 36-run victory in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.The win took Kerala to third place in the standings, behind Maharashtra and Bengal. Bengal beat Services by 60 runs on Tuesday.Asked to continue, Odisha resumed their second innings at 102/4 but lost the remaining six wickets for just 41 runs. They were bowled out for 143 in 58.3 overs, allowing Kerala to seal victory in the second over on the fourth and final day.Saxena led the attack with figures of 5/34 in 18 overs, including seven maidens. Odisha could not build on their overnight score, their last two wickets run out.Opener Gourav Choudhary top-scored with 53 while skipper Subhranshu Senapati hit 30. The pair helped Odisha recover from early setbacks before Saxena dismantled the lower order.Odisha scored 225 in their first innings, giving Kerala a 179 lead after the hosts were posted 404. Mohammed Azharuddeen was named man of the match for his unbeaten 139 in Kerala’s first innings.

Delhi get three points after Gujarat’s match ends in a draw

Delhi bounced back from their opening round defeat to Bengal by picking up three points against Gujarat at the Palam B Ground. The match ended in a draw, with Delhi getting the points based on their first innings lead.Delhi’s first innings total of 648/6 declared proved decisive. Ayush Badoni scored 217 while Priyansh Arya made 199 off 221 balls. Arya was named player of the match for his innings.Gujarat, who were leading the order after the first innings, went on to post 363/5 in their first innings on the final day. They added 116 runs before being bowled out for 479 in 174.1 overs.Manan Hingrajia, unbeaten on 108 overnight, went on to score 123 off 303 balls. Captain Chintan Gaja also extended his overnight score from 41 to 82 but Gujarat still conceded a first innings deficit of 169 runs.Delhi’s Hrithik Shokeen took five wickets for 143 runs while Sumit Mathur took two. Delhi pushed for the follow-on and Gujarat reached 15/1 in eight overs in their second innings before the match was drawn.Delhi got three points to move to sixth in the eight-team standings, while Gujarat collected one point.

Harjas, Emanjot lead Punjab to seven wicket win

Punjab players Harjas Singh and Emanjot Singh Chahal took three wickets to help their team beat Chhattisgarh by seven wickets in their Ranji Trophy Group B match at Mullanpur on Wednesday.After scoring 456 in their first innings, Punjab bowled out Chhattisgarh for 206 to claim the follow-on. The visitors put up a stronger fight in their second innings, scoring 335, but that left Punjab with a target of just 86 runs.Punjab completed the chase in 16.5 overs, losing three wickets en route to victory.

Hyderabad beat Andhra by 267 runs

Hyderabad secured a 267-run victory over Andhra at Mulapadu. Left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan took six wickets for 35 runs on the final day as Andhra were bowled out for 130.

Saurashtra will settle for three points against Karnataka

Saurashtra got three points against Karnataka in Alur after taking a narrow lead in the first innings. It was the second match in a row in which Saurashtra finished with three points.Karnataka declared their second innings at 243/7, setting Saurashtra a target of 237. With limited time left in the match, Saurashtra decided to secure points rather than push for an outright victory.Saurashtra finished at 137/2 in their second innings, with Chirag Jani unbeaten on 63 off 117 balls.

Mumbai beat Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 97 runs

Mumbai recorded their second consecutive bonus points win in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D as they defeated Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 97 runs in Bilaspur on Wednesday.Mumbai declared their first innings at 528/8 with Sarfaraz Khan scoring 154 and Akash Anand 117. In reply, Himachal Pradesh were bowled out for 140.Mumbai took a first innings lead of 388 runs before dismissing the hosts for 291 in their second innings to seal victory.