Seamers Mukesh Choudhary and Rajneesh Gurbani struck lethal blows as Maharashtra thumped Baroda by a whopping 439-run margin in a Group A league match, a result that kept defending champions Mumbai alive for the knock-out stage of Ranji Trophy, here Sunday. Trying to save the game and get a point in the bargain was Baroda’s primary objective on the final day as chasing 617 was simply out of question but they failed miserably and were all out for just 177 in 36 overs. Maharashtra’s victory has left Mumbai in a tricky spot to qualify for the knockout stage.

Former CSK left-arm seamer Mukesh took 5 for 76 while Gurbani, who has switched first-class side from Vidarbha to Maharashtra had 3 for 54 to show for his efforts.

Jammu and Kashmir are on top of group A with 29 points from six games followed by Baroda, who are on 27 points from equal number of matches. Mumbai remained on 22 from six games after their defeat to J&K on Saturday.

However Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Maharashtra has created an opening for the 42-time champions as Baroda will now have to at least get a first innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir in their final game.

If Baroda gets three points, then both Baroda and Jammu and Kashmir, with 30 points each will qualify for the knock-out stages while Mumbai will be out in the group league stage itself.

Mumbai play their last match against wooden spooners Meghalaya, who will be relegated to ‘Plate Group’ having lost all their six games.

It is expected that Mumbai, who will play at BKC will thump the minnows and get another seven points from the game, which will take their tally to 29 from seven games.

But to qualify for Mumbai will need Jammu and Kashmir to at least take a first innings lead if not win outright, which will take their tally to 32 and Baroda will be stuck at 28.

In case Jammu and Kashmir lose and stay put on 29 and Mumbai win with bonus points, then net run rate (NRR) will be the deciding factor.

None of the other five teams– Tripura, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Services, Odisha have any chance of qualification.

Rajasthan vs Vidarbha

Skipper Akshay Wadkar’s brilliant century and spinner Harsh Dubey’s 10-wicket match haul steered Vidarbha to a stunning 221-run victory over Rajasthan in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B game, here on Sunday.

Captain Wadkar (139), Yash Rathod (98), and all-rounder Nachiket Bhute (87) played crucial knocks in the second innings, guiding Vidarbha to a commanding total of 428/9 declared.

Left-arm spinner Dubey (5/51 in 19 overs) then sealed the match with his outstanding performance, completing a 10-wicket haul as Rajasthan were bowled out for just 107, despite Vidarbha starting with a 100-run first-innings deficit.

The win earned Vidarbha (36) six points, solidifying their position at the top of the points table.

In a tricky situation in the second essay, Wadkar first partnered with Rathod to forge a vital 94-run stand.

After Rathod, who fell agonisingly short of his century, was dismissed, Wadkar and Bhute put on a massive 172-run partnership that firmly put Vidarbha in control.

Resuming at their overnight score of 358/7, Vidarbha added 70 more runs on day four before declaring their innings, setting Rajasthan a daunting target of 329 runs.

Wadkar’s 269-ball innings featured 14 fours and a six, while Bhute struck six fours and three sixes in his entertaining knock.

The 22-year-old Dubey and off spinner Akshay Wakhare (3/2 in 6.3 overs) then dismantled Rajasthan’s batting lineup, sharing eight wickets between them to bowl out the hosts in just 43.3 overs.

Rajasthan began their chase on a steady note, with both openers looking comfortable. However, Shubham Kapse provided Vidarbha with the breakthrough, dismissing opener Zubair Ali (22).

Dubey, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, struck again, dismissing Abhijeet Romar and Deepak Hooda in quick succession.

Rajasthan continued to lose wickets at regular intervals as Dubey and Wakhare bowled superbly in tandem, sealing a comprehensive victory for Vidarbha.

In other Group B matches, Andhra drew with Puducherry while Hyderbad defeated Himachal Pradesh by an innings in 43 runs.

Brief Scores 

In Nasik: Maharashtra 297 and 464/7 decl. Baroda 145 and (target 617) 177 in 36 overs (Mukesh Choudhary 5/73, Rajneesh Gurbani 3/54). Maharashtra won by 439 runs. Points: Maharashtra 6 Baroda 0.

In Agartala: Tripura 212 and 375/7 decl (Mandeep Singh 124 not out, Bikramkumar Das 85, S Sharath 66).

Services 294 and (target 276) 101 in 19.1 overs (Ravi Chauhan 53). Match Drawn. Points: Tripura 1 Services 3.

In Shillong: Meghalaya 198 and 294 in 92.2 overs (JS Sachdeva 82, Sunil Roul 4/61).

Odisha 548/7 decl. Odisha won by an innings and 56 runs.

In Jaipur: Vidarbha 165 and 428/9d in 138.1 overs (Akshay Wadkar 139, Yash Rathod 98, Nachiket Bhute 87; Kukna Ajay Singh 5/104) defeated Rajasthan 265 and 107 all out in 43.3 overs (Zubair Ali 22; Harsh Dubey 5/51) by 221 runs.

In Puducherry: Andhra 303 and 319/6d in 82.4 overs (Karan Shinde 119 not out; Ankit Sharma 3/83) drew with Puducherry 260 and 152/0 in 46 overs (Ganga Sridhar Raju 75 not out, Jay Pande 59 not out; Lalit Mohan 0/39) *In Hyderabad: Hyderabad 565 in 168.5 overs beat Himachal Pradesh 275 & 247 (Shubham Arora 66, Ankit Kalso 44; Tanay Thyagarajan 6/118, Anikethreddy 4/46) by innings an 43 runs. 

R Ashwin feels Ruturaj Gaikwad’s snub is neither the player, nor the selector’s fault.© AFP

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took to social media to continue a back-and-forth banter with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, following the latter’s dismissal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final on Thursday. Gaikwad – playing in the game for Maharashtra against Vidarbha – had to depart after a stunning diving catch by Jitesh Sharma, who will turn out for RCB in IPL 2025. The incident led to RCB firing shots back at Gaikwad, building on a subtle dig by the batter from a few weeks ago.

In December 2024, Gaikwad, while attending an event, saw his mic stop working. To this, the CSK captain had retorted with a sarcastic response.

“Must be someone from RCB,” Gaikwad had said at the event, sending the crowd into laughter.

Now, Gaikwad’s dismissal, inflicted by Jitesh’s superb catch, allowed RCB to fire a shot back at Gaikwad.

“It is someone from RCB,” the franchise posted on X, referring to Jitesh’s catch.

‘It is someone from RCB’

Jitesh doing what he does best! #PlayBold #VijayHazareTrophy #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/0E7z282mlN

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) January 16, 2025

The mic guy had turned off Rutu’s mic by mistake and the presenter said “How can you turn off Ruturaj’s mic”

Rutu – “Might be someone from RCB” pic.twitter.com/o2ZljBs9BO

— Yash (@CSKYash_) December 19, 2024

Two of IPL’s most popular franchises, the tweet went viral, garnering over 18,000 likes in less than a day of being posted.

Gaikwad was appointed CSK captain at the beginning of IPL 2024, taking over from legendary skipper MS Dhoni. He was retained as the franchise’s joint-highest-paid player ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, at a fee of Rs 18 crore.

Meanwhile, Jitesh was picked up by RCB at the mega auction for a sum of Rs 11 crore.

The two sides engaged in battle right down to the wire in IPL 2024, with a final league fixture between them clinching which side qualified for the playoff stage.

Jitesh also had the last laugh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture, as Vidarbha’s total of 380 in 50 overs proved too daunting a task for Maharashtra, who fell short with a valiant 311. Vidarbha will take on Karnataka in the final of the tournament.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s whirlwind 148 not out powered Maharashtra to a nine-wicket win over Services, while all-round show from Utkarsh Singh and a fine 134 from Ishan Kishan highlighted Jharkhand’s eight-wicket win against Manipur in Vijay Hazare Trophy on Monday. Gaikwad struck 11 sixes and 16 fours during his 74-ball knock as Maharashtra scored 205 for one in reply to Services’ 204 all-out in 48 overs. For Maharashtra, Pradeep Dhade (3/38) and Satyajeet Bachhav (3/36) were the pick among the bowlers in their Group B contest here at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy.

Kishan, Utkarsh shine in Jharkhand win

In Jaipur, India wicketkeeper-batter Kishan blasted a 78-ball 134 with 16 fours and six sixes, while Utkarsh produced an all-round effort, returning 6-1-21-2 in the first innings and scoring 68 off 64 balls with nine fours and a six.

Jharkhand defeated Manipur by eight wickets in their second round game in Jaipur’s Dr Soni Stadium.

Mumbai scrape to win by three wickets

Atharva Ankolekar (4/55) snapped four wickets, while Tanush Kotian, who received a call-up to join the Indian squad for the reminder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, took 2 for 38 and scored a vital 39 as Mumbai scraped to a win over Hyderabad in their Group C match in Ahmedabad on Monday.

Tanmay Agarwal’s 64 (74 balls, 9x4s, 1x6s) and Aravelly Avinash’s 52 (47 balls, 6x4s, 3x6s) were not enough as Hyderabad were bowled out for just 169 in 38.1 overs.

In reply, Kotian’s 39 and Shreyas Iyer’s quickfire 20-ball 44 (4x4s, 3x6s) were crucial as Mumbai got over the line, scoring 175 for seven in 25.2 overs.

Saini, Shokeen shine in Delhi’s win 

India bowler Navdeep Saini took 4 for 37 from his seven overs, while Hrithik Shokeen returned a tight spell of 8.1-1-26-3 as Delhi recorded a comprehensive 79-run win against Madhya Pradesh in their Group E match in Hyderabad.

Delhi were shot out for 211 in 48.4 overs with Anuj Rawat top-scoring with 78 from 103 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes.

Surbhanshu Senapati hit 55 from 72 balls with nine fours while Harsh Gawli scored 42 but Madhya Pradesh were bowled out for a mere 132 in 37.1 overs.

Baroda beat Kerala in high-scoring contest

Baroda registered a 62-run win over Kerala in a high-scoring Group E match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad.

Ninad Rathva hit 136 off 99 balls with 19 fours and three sixes, Parth Kohli smashed 72 off 87 balls with three sixes and four each while skipper Krunal Pandya hammered seven fours and three sixes during his 80 off 54 balls as Baroda posted a mammoth 403.

In reply, Rohan Kunnumal (65), Ahammed Imran (51) and Mohammed Azharuddeen (104 off 58 balls, 8x4s, 7x6s) tried their best before Kerala were dismissed for 341 as Baroda walked away with a win.

Brief scores:

At Mumbai: Services 204 in 48 overs (Mohit Ahlawat 61; Pradeep Dadhe 3/38, Satyajeet Bachhav 3/36) lost to Maharashtra 205/1 in 20.2 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 148*) by 9 wickets.

At Jaipur: Manipur 253/7 in 50 overs (Johnson Singh 69; Utkarsh Singh 2/21, Anukul Roy 2/47) lost to Jharkhand 255/2 in 28.3 overs (Ishan Kishan 134, Utkarsh Singh 68) by 8 wickets.

At Ahmedabad: Hyderabad 169 in 38.1 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 64, Aravelly Avinash 52; Atharva Ankolekar 4/55, Tanush Kotian 2/38, Ayush Mhatre 3/17) lost to Mumbai 175/7 in 25.2 overs (Tanush Kotian 39*, Shreyas Iyer 44*; Saranu Nishanth 3/42, Mohammad Muddasir 2/55) by 3 wickets.

At Hyderabad: Delhi 211 in 48.4 overs (Anuj Rawat 78; Kumar Kartikeya 2/24, Sagar Solanki 2/27, Kulwant Khejroliya 2/36) beat MadhyaPradesh 132 in 37.1 overs (Harsh Gawli 42, Subhranshu Senapati 55; Navdeep Saini 4/37, Hrithik Shokeen 3/26) by 79 runs.

At Hyderabad: Baroda 403 in 50 overs (Ninad Rathva 136, Parth Kohli 72, Krunal Pandya 80; Sharafuddeen 2/51) beat Kerala 341 in 45.5 overs (Rohan Kunnumal 65, Ahammed Imran 51, Mohammed Azharuddeen 104; Akash Maharaj Singh 3/70) by 62 runs. DDV ATK ATK

CSK Full Squad, IPL 2025: CSK bought seven players on the first day of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Noor Ahmad being some of their top buys. The five-time champions will go into the second day of the auction with Rs. 15.60 crore left in its purse. They still have 14 slots to fill, including three overseas players. CSK had retained five players heading into the auction — Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs. 18 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (Rs. 13 crore), Shivam Dube (Rs. 12 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (Rs. 18 crore), MS Dhoni (Rs. 4 crore). (Full Squad)

Players Bought By CSK In IPL 2025 Auction

1. Devon Conway – Rs 6.25 Crore

2. Rahul Tripathi – Rs 3.4 Crore

3. Rachin Ravindra – Rs 4 Crore

4. Ravichandran Ashwin – Rs 9.75 Crore

5. Khaleel Ahmed – Rs 4.80 crore

6. Noor Ahmed – Rs 10 crore

7. Vijay Shankar – Rs 1.2 crore

8. Sam Curran – Rs 2.4 crore

9. Shaik Rasheed – Rs 30 lakh

10. Anshul Kamboj – Rs 3.4 crore

11. Mukesh Choudhary – Rs 30 lakh

12. Deepak Hooda – Rs 1.7 crore

13. Gurjapneet Singh – Rs 2.2 crore

14. Nathan Ellis – Rs 2 crore

15. Jamie Overton – Rs 1.5 crore

16. Kamlesh Nagarkoti – Rs 30 lakh

17. Ramakrishna Ghosh – Rs 30 lakh

Full list of retained players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni.

Full list of released players: Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Richard Gleeson, Avanish Rao Aravelly, Devon Conway.

CSK Full Squad, IPL 2025: Players bought by Chennai Super Kings© BCCI

Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana, currently playing in the Abu Dhabi T10, expressed his excitement and happiness at being retained for a whopping Rs 13 crore by his franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), for the upcoming IPL 2025. Pathirana, known for his skills as a specialist death bowler, shared his enthusiasm and gratitude for the trust CSK has placed in him. “Yeah, really, I’m excited about that, and that was my dream when I debuted for CSK. So yeah, I achieved it, so I’m really happy about that,” said Pathirana, reflecting on his retention by the franchise.

Pathirana joined CSK in 2022, when he played two games and took two wickets. The following year, he had a breakthrough season, playing 12 games and claiming 19 wickets. In 2024, he continued his impressive form, picking up 13 wickets in six games. In total, Pathirana has played 20 matches for CSK, taking 34 wickets with an economy rate of 7.88 and a best bowling figure of 4/28.

Despite CSK’s strong performances, the team narrowly missed their playoff chances in 2024, finishing fifth under new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Pathirana also expressed his delight at the prospect of sharing the dressing room with CSK captain MS Dhoni once again. The young bowler highlighted the unique experience of playing alongside the legendary cricketer.

“Everyone knows how it will be, so no need to say again. It’s really cool and nice,” he remarked.

CSK’s strategy is likely to focus on blending seasoned players with fresh talent, maintaining the balance that has driven their past successes. Besides Dhoni, their retained players include Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and Matheesha Pathirana.

The IPL 2025 Mega Auction promises to deliver high-stakes action, with marquee players and strategic manoeuvres set to enthral cricket fans.

Of the 574 players, 366 are Indian, while 208 are overseas, including three from associate nations. The auction will see 318 Indian uncapped players and 12 uncapped overseas players in contention. There are 204 slots available, with 70 reserved for overseas players.

The highest reserve price is set at INR 2 crore, with 81 players opting for this bracket. The largest segment comprises players with a base price of INR 30 lakh, totalling 320.

Among the standout names are Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul, part of the 12 marquee players. These three captains were released by their respective franchises ahead of the retention deadline. For the first time since 2018, the marquee players are divided into two sets, comprising seven Indian players and five overseas stars.

The first set includes Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Arshdeep Singh, while the second features KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj. The overseas marquee players are Mitchell Starc, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada.

Several teams will deploy Right-to-Match (RTM) cards during the auction. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), having retained six players each–the maximum allowed–will not have any RTM cards. Punjab Kings (PBKS) hold four RTMs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) three, and Delhi Capitals (DC) two. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Mumbai Indians (MI) each have one RTM.

RTM cards enable teams to buy back released players by matching the highest bid. In this auction, the team with the highest bid can increase their offer once more, after which the team holding the RTM card can match the final bid to secure the player.

File image of Ayush Mhatre.© X (Twitter)

The ongoing unofficial series between India A and Australia A was marred by a ball-tampering controversy last week. In the unofficial first Test in Mackay, the India A players had to deal with ball tampering allegations after the on-field umpires changed the ball used by them overnight. After taking three early wickets overnight, the India A players were visibly disappointed, and were seen arguing with umpire Shawn Craig, about the ball given to resume play. While India A lost the match, former Australia captain David Warner had also questioned the decision to change the ball in the morning.

On the decision to change the ball, the umpire alleged India A of altering the condition of the cherry. 

“When you scratch it, we change the ball. No more discussion, let’s play. No more discussion; let’s play. This is not a discussion,” the umpire was heard as saying on air.

However, Cricket Australia (CA) squashed all the allegations against the India A players, saying that the ‘ball was changed due to deterioration’.

In the ongoing 2nd unofficial Test, the India A players once again caught the attention for a ball-related incident.

In a viral video, the players can be seen having a chat with umpire, informing him about something on the ball.

The commentators suggested that the substance on the ball could be either mud or white paint.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, in general, looked a bit agitated during the chat with the umpire.

Meanwhile, KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran failed to leave a mark yet again as India A were reduced to 73/5 at the end of day two’s play in the second four-day game against Australia A at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

Previously, Australia A managed to take a 62-run lead, thanks to opener Marcus Harris making 74 in their total of 223. For India A, fast-bowler Prasidh Krishna took a four-fer while pacer Mukesh Kumar picked three wickets.

In their second innings, India A were in trouble yet again as they went from 31/1 to 56/5. Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will have to stage a rescue act for India A, who lead by 11 runs at the end of day two. Jurel is unbeaten on 19 while Nitish Kumar Reddy is nine not out.

(With ANI Inputs)

Ruturaj Gaikwad fumed at controversial Ranji Trophy dismissal© X (Twitter)