The stage is set for Ranji Trophy knockout matches as Bengaluru will host the tournament starting with the quarterfinals, right after the conclusion of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. As per the revised schedule Ranji Trophy's knockout stage will now commence from June 6 with the final slated to be played from June 22.
Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (BCCI) had said that the knock-outs will be played after the ongoing cash-rich league.
The four quarterfinals will be played from June 6-10. Bengal will take on Jharkhand in the first quarter-final.
Mumbai, who have won the coveted title 41 times including 15 back-to-back wins from 1958–59 to 1972–73, will be up against Uttarakhand while Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh will square off in the third quarterfinal.
The fourth quarterfinal will be played between Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. The two semi-finals will be played from June 14 to 18, while the summit clash of the prestigious domestic championship will be played from June 22.
Revised Schedule:
Quarterfinals: June 6-10
First Quarter-final: Bengal vs Jharkhand
Second Quarter-final: Mumbai vs Uttarakhand
Third Quarter-final: Karnataka vs Uttar Pradesh
Fourth Quarter-final: Punjab vs Madhya Pradesh
Semi-finals: June 14-18
Final: June 22-26
Initially, the schedule mentioned that the four quarter-final matches will be played in Bengaluru from June 4 with the final slated from June 20 to 24. The group stage matches were completed ahead of the start of IPL 2022 as the BCCI decided to conduct the red-ball tournament in two phases.
In the world of glitz and glamour of the IPL, the Ranji Trophy kick-started on a perfect note after a wait of 1 year, 11 months and 4 days (706 days) with plenty of eye-catching performances. The true beauty of domestic cricket was on display as one side witnessed veteran Ajinkya Rahane getting into the groove with a thunderous ton for Mumbai while on the other hand, 2022 Under-19 World Cup-winning captain Yash Dhull marked his First-Class debut with a stylish ton for Delhi. As Mumbai found themselves stuck at 44-3 as Saurashtra pace duo of Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya hunted in pair. Perhaps it was a tailor-made situation for Ajinkya Rahane to step up in the Ranji Trophy and get back the feeling of scoring big runs. And he did. Rahane dominated the show with some classy stroke-play while Sarfaraz Khan continued his great run of form with a fantastic ton.
