2017–18 Ranji Trophy

The 2017–18 Ranji Trophy was the 84th season of the Ranji Trophy, the premier first-class cricket tournament that took place in India between October 2017 and January 2018.[1] Vidarbha won the tournament, beating Delhi by 9 wickets in the final, to win their first Ranji Trophy title.[2][3] Vidarbha made their Ranji Trophy debut in the 1957–58 season, making it the third-longest wait before a team won their maiden title.[4] Vidarbha's captain, Faiz Fazal, said that "winning the Ranji Trophy has been the biggest achievement in my career".[5]

2017–18 Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy, awarded to the winners
Dates6 October 2017 – 2 January 2018
Administrator(s)BCCI
Cricket formatFirst-class cricket
Tournament format(s)Round-robin then knockout
Host(s) India
ChampionsVidarbha (1st title)
Participants28
Matches91
Most runsMayank Agarwal (1,160) (Karnataka)
Most wicketsJalaj Saxena (44) (Kerala)

The previous season was played at neutral venues.[6][7][8] For this season, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) agreed to return to playing fixtures at home and away venues after the neutral venue trial was unpopular with domestic captains.[9][10] However, the knock-out phase of the tournament was still played at neutral venues.[11] The other change from the previous season was an increase in the number of groups from three to four, with each team playing six fixtures in the group stage.[11] The top two teams from each group progressed to the quarter-finals.[12]

Gujarat were the defending champions.[13] The season started on 6 October 2017,[11] with the quarter-finals taking place on 7 December 2017, the semi-finals on 17 December 2017, and the final being held from 29 December 2017 to 2 January 2018.[14] The final was played at the Holkar Stadium, Indore for the second consecutive year.[15]

In November 2017, Mumbai, the most successful team in the history of the Ranji Trophy, played their 500th match in the competition.[16][17]

Following the conclusion of the sixth round of group-stage fixtures, Karnataka and Delhi from Group A and Vidarbha from Group D had all progressed to the knockout stage of the tournament.[18][19] After the final group-stage matches, they were joined by Gujarat and Kerala from Group B,[20] Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai from Group C[21][22] and Bengal from Group D.[23] It was the first time that Kerala had progressed to the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy.[24][25]

In the quarter-finals, Karnataka beat Mumbai by an innings and 20 runs. It was only the fifth time that Mumbai had lost a match by an innings in the history of the Ranji Trophy.[26] Defending champions Gujarat drew their match with Bengal, with Bengal progressing to the semi-finals with a first-innings lead.[27] In the other quarter-final matches, Delhi beat Madhya Pradesh by seven wickets[28] and Vidarbha beat Kerala by 412 runs to advance.[29]

In the first semi-final, Delhi beat Bengal by an innings and 26 runs to reach their first final since the 2007–08 tournament.[30] In the second semi-final, Vidarbha beat Karnataka by 5 runs to reach the final for the first time in their history.[31]

Player transfers

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The following player transfers were approved ahead of the season:[32]

Player/Coach From To
Piyush Chawla Uttar Pradesh Gujarat
Robin Uthappa Karnataka Saurashtra
KB Arun Karthik Assam Kerala
Karn Sharma Railways Vidarbha
Ambati Rayudu Vidarbha Hyderabad
Pragyan Ojha Bengal Hyderabad
Amit Verma Assam Karnataka
Balchander Anirudh Hyderabad Tamil Nadu
Jatin Saxena Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh
Rahul Chahar Rajasthan Services
Robin Bist Himachal Pradesh Rajasthan
Gonnabattula Chiranjeevi Andhra Pradesh Railways

Teams

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The teams were drawn in the following groups, with the groupings based on the average points for each side in the previous three years:[14]

Group A

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Points table

Team[33] Pld W L D A Pts NRR
Karnataka 6 4 0 2 0 32 +0.479
Delhi 6 3 0 3 0 27 +0.333
Maharashtra 6 2 2 1 1 16 +0.084
Hyderabad 6 2 1 1 2 16 –0.156
Railways 6 2 3 1 0 14 –0.312
Uttar Pradesh 6 0 3 2 1 5 +0.508
Assam 6 0 4 2 0 2 –0.977
  •   Top two teams advanced to the knockout stage

Group B

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Points table

Team[33] Pld W L D A Pts NRR
Gujarat 6 5 0 1 0 34 +0.097
Kerala 6 5 1 0 0 31 +0.636
Saurashtra 6 3 1 2 0 26 +0.245
Jammu & Kashmir 6 1 4 1 0 9 –0.077
Haryana 6 1 4 1 0 9 –0.506
Jharkhand 6 1 4 1 0 8 –0.049
Rajasthan 6 0 2 4 0 6 –0.294

Group C

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Points table

Team[33] Pld W L D A Pts NRR
Madhya Pradesh 6 3 1 2 0 21 –0.116
Mumbai 6 2 0 4 0 21 +0.228
Andhra 6 1 0 5 0 19 +0.326
Baroda 6 1 1 4 0 16 +0.508
Tamil Nadu 6 0 1 5 0 11 –0.112
Odisha 6 0 2 4 0 6 –0.648
Tripura 6 0 2 4 0 4 –0.426

Group D

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Points table

Team[33] Pld W L D A Pts NRR
Vidarbha 6 4 0 2 0 31 +0.358
Bengal 6 2 1 3 0 23 +0.367
Punjab 6 2 2 2 0 18 +0.609
Himachal Pradesh 6 1 1 4 0 14 +0.300
Chhattisgarh 6 1 3 2 0 13 –0.514
Services 6 1 2 3 0 10 –0.273
Goa 6 0 2 4 0 6 –0.700

Knockout stage

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The draw for the quarter-finals were made after the final group-stage match, with the following fixtures announced.[34] The fixtures in the knockout stage of the tournament are played across five days, instead of four days in the group stage.[35]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
         
B1 Gujarat 224
D2 Bengal 354 & 695/6
D2 Bengal 286 & 86
A2 Delhi 398
A2 Delhi 405 & 217/3
C1 Madhya Pradesh 338 & 283
A2 Delhi 295 & 280
D1 Vidarbha 547 & 32/1
B2 Kerala 176 & 165
D1 Vidarbha 246 & 507/9d
D1 Vidarbha 185 & 313
A1 Karnataka 301 & 192
C2 Mumbai 173 & 377
A1 Karnataka 570

Quarter-finals

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7–11 December 2017
Quarter-final 1
Scorecard
v
354 (111.5 overs)
Abhimanyu Easwaran 129 (346)
Ishwar Chaudhary 5/87 (31 overs)
224 (74.5 overs)
Bhargav Merai 67 (116)
Ishan Porel 3/64 (24.5 overs)
695/6 (231 overs)
Writtick Chatterjee 216 (370)
Ishwar Chaudhary 2/95 (35 overs)
Match drawn
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Umpires: Yeshwant Barde and Jayaraman Madanagopal
Player of the match: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal)
  • Gujarat won the toss and elected to field.
  • Writtick Chatterjee (Bengal) scored his maiden double-century in first-class cricket.[36]

7–11 December 2017
Quarter-final 2
Scorecard
v
338 (124.1 overs)
Harpreet Singh 107* (200)
Manan Sharma 4/46 (15.1 overs)
405 (119.4 overs)
Kunal Chandela 81 (179)
Mihir Hirwani 5/89 (27.4 overs)
283 (105.5 overs)
Harpreet Singh 78 (126)
Vikas Mishra 4/59 (31.5 overs)
217/3 (51.4 overs)
Gautam Gambhir 95 (129)
Ishwar Pandey 1/18 (6 overs)
Delhi won by 7 wickets
Dr. Gokaraju Liala Gangaaraju ACA Cricket Ground, Vijayawada
Umpires: Gerard Abood and Anil Dandekar
Player of the match: Harpreet Singh (Madhya Pradesh)
  • Delhi won the toss and elected to field.

7–11 December 2017
Quarter-final 3
Scorecard
v
246 (105.3 overs)
Akshay Wadkar 53 (147)
KC Akshay 5/66 (31 overs)
176 (61.5 overs)
Jalaj Saxena 40 (117)
Rajneesh Gurbani 5/38 (14 overs)
507/9d (146.4 overs)
Faiz Fazal 119 (209)
KC Akshay 4/118 (44.4 overs)
165 (52.2 overs)
Salman Nizar 64 (104)
Aditya Sarwate 6/41 (16.2 overs)
Vidarbha won by 412 runs
Lalabhai Contractor Stadium, Surat
Umpires: Vineet Kulkarni and Virender Sharma
Player of the match: Rajneesh Gurbani (Vidarbha)
  • Vidarbha won the toss and elected to bat.
  • No play was possible before tea on day 1.[37]

7–11 December 2017
Quarter-final 4
Scorecard
v
173 (56 overs)
Dhawal Kulkarni 75 (132)
Vinay Kumar 6/34 (15 overs)
570 (163.3 overs)
Shreyas Gopal 150* (274)
Shivam Dube 5/98 (37 overs)
377 (114.5 overs)
Suryakumar Yadav 108 (180)
Krishnappa Gowtham 6/104 (35.5 overs)
Karnataka won by an innings and 20 runs
Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
Umpires: Abhijit Deshmukh and Nitin Pandit
Player of the match: Vinay Kumar (Karnataka)

Semi-finals

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17–21 December 2017
Semi-final 1
Scorecard
v
286 (94.2 overs)
Sudip Chatterjee 83 (162)
Navdeep Saini 3/55 (21 overs)
398 (117 overs)
Gautam Gambhir 127 (216)
Mohammed Shami 6/122 (39 overs)
86 (24.4 overs)
Sudip Chatterjee 21 (32)
Navdeep Saini 4/35 (12 overs)
Delhi won by an innings and 26 runs
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Umpires: Abhijit Deshmukh and Nand Kishore
Player of the match: Navdeep Saini (Delhi)
  • Bengal won the toss and elected to bat.

17–21 December 2017
Semi-final 2
Scorecard
v
185 (61.4 overs)
Aditya Sarwate 47 (64)
Abhimanyu Mithun 5/45 (16 overs)
301 (100.5 overs)
Karun Nair 153 (287)
Rajneesh Gurbani 5/94 (34 overs)
313 (84.1 overs)
Ganesh Satish 81 (168)
Vinay Kumar 3/71 (18.1 overs)
192 (59.1 overs)
Vinay Kumar 36 (48)
Rajneesh Gurbani 7/68 (23.1 overs)
Vidarbha won by 5 runs
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Umpires: Vineet Kulkarni and Pashchim Pathak
Player of the match: Rajneesh Gurbani (Vidarbha)
  • Vidarbha won the toss and elected to bat.

Final

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29 December 2017–2 January 2018
Final
Scorecard
v
295 (102.5 overs)
Dhruv Shorey 145 (294)
Rajneesh Gurbani 6/59 (24.4 overs)
547 (163.4 overs)
Akshay Wadkar 133 (262)
Navdeep Saini 5/135 (36.3 overs)
280 (76 overs)
Nitish Rana 64 (113)
Akshay Wakhare 4/95 (28 overs)
32/1 (5 overs)
Wasim Jaffer 17* (17)
Kulwant Khejroliya 1/21 (3 overs)
Vidarbha won by 9 wickets
Holkar Stadium, Indore
Umpires: Anil Dandekar and Nitin Menon
Player of the match: Rajneesh Gurbani (Vidarbha)

References

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  1. ^ "A Ranji Trophy with international flavour and increased pressure". ESPNcricinfo. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Delhi vs Vidarbha, Ranji Trophy final, full cricket score, Day 4: VID win title for 1st time, create history". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Vidarbha crowned champions in maiden Ranji final". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Vidarbha's maiden Ranji title in 61 seasons". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  5. ^ "'I cannot describe this feeling' - Faiz Fazal". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  6. ^ "BCCI revamps Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy structure". ESPNcricinfo. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Ranji Trophy to be held at neutral venues, confirms BCCI". Times of India. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  8. ^ "BCCI announces new T20 domestic league, approves Ranji Trophy matches at neutral venues". Indian Express. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  9. ^ "BCCI meet: Ranji Trophy will again be home and away format". Times of India. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  10. ^ "BCCI Meet: Ranji Trophy Will Again Be Home And Away Format". NDTV. 29 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  11. ^ a b c "BCCI dumps neutral-venue policy for Ranji Trophy league stage". ESPNcricinfo. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  12. ^ "BCCI reverts to home and away format for Ranji Trophy". CricBuzz. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  13. ^ "Parthiv 143 leads Gujarat to maiden title". ESPNcricinfo. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Duleep Trophy scrapped from 2017-18 calendar". ESPNcricinfo. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Indore to host second Ranji final in a row". ESPNcricinfo. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Sheth, Meriwala help Baroda take control in Mumbai's 500th match". ESPNcricinfo. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  17. ^ "When two Baroda rookies stunned Mumbai". ESPNcricinfo. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Karnataka, Delhi confirm passage to knockouts". ESPNcricinfo. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  19. ^ "Wakhare helps Vidarbha secure quarter-final berth". ESPNcricinfo. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Ranji Trophy wrap: Gujarat, Kerala reach quarterfinals". CricBuzz. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  21. ^ "Group C: Hirwani spins Madhya Pradesh into knockouts". Wisden India. 28 November 2017. Archived from the original on 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  22. ^ "Ranji Trophy: Mumbai maul Tripura by 10 wickets to enter quarters". Times of India. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  23. ^ "Tiger Dinda Hai!". Cricket Country. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  24. ^ "Kerala cricket team creates history! Enters Ranji Trophy quarterfinals in style". Financial Express. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  25. ^ "Kerala Ranji Trophy team qualifies for the quarterfinals". The New Indian Express. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  26. ^ "Gowtham six-for as Karnataka cruise into semis with innings win". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  27. ^ "Majumdar scores ton as Bengal bat on and on". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  28. ^ "Gambhir, Chandela lead breezy Delhi chase". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  29. ^ "Sarwate bags six as Vidarbha complete massive win". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  30. ^ "Delhi storm into Ranji Trophy final after 10 years". Indian Express. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  31. ^ "Gurbani seven-for books Vidarbha's maiden Ranji final berth". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  32. ^ "Ranji Trophy transfers - Who moved where ahead of the 2017-18 season". ESPNcricinfo. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  33. ^ a b c d "Ranji Trophy Table - 2017–18". ESPNcricinfo. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  34. ^ "Karnataka v Mumbai the marquee clash in Ranji Trophy quarterfinals". Wisden India. 28 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  35. ^ "Kerala to play their first Ranji knockout against Vidarbha". ESPNcricinfo. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  36. ^ "Chatterjee, Easwaran keep Bengal on course for semi-finals". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  37. ^ "Two sessions lost in Vidarbha-Kerala quarter-final". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  38. ^ "Vinay Kumar hat-trick rips through Mumbai line-up". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  39. ^ "Vinay Kumar hat-trick as Karnataka dominate Mumbai". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  40. ^ "Shreyas Gopal's 150 flattens Mumbai". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  41. ^ "Rajneesh Gurbani becomes 2nd bowler to take hat-trick in Ranji final". Indian Express. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
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