Published: Dec 07, 2016, 07:00 AM (IST)
Edited: Dec 07, 2016, 07:17 AM (IST)
Good Morning, सुप्रभात! Hello and Welcome to CricketCountry’s live coverage of Day One of Round 9 of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2016-17, as we bring to you the live updates from all the matches. This round will see as many as 26 teams clash against each other to battle for domestic four-Day supremacy. Mumbai have qualified from Group A, while Jharkhand, dark horses of the tournament, have qualified from Group B alongside Karnataka. Group C is still wide open, with as many as 6 teams in contention for those two quarter-final slots as well as promotion to the top tier.
Group A will see eight teams play in Round 9. Bengal will take on Madhya Pradesh at Model Sports Complex, Palam, Delhi; Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, currently second and third in the group, will play the most important match of the lot, at KSCA Stadium, Belagavi; Mumbai will be up against Punjab at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot; while Baroda and Uttar Pradesh will both try to avoid being relegated at Golf Club Ground, Nasik. Railways, the third side facing relegation threats, will miss the round of games.
Group B topper Jharkhand were expected to take on Odisha at NPR College Ground, Dindigul, but following the death of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, it will be rescheduled, and the new venue and dates will be announced shortly. This means that both teams will, in all probability, miss the round. Karnataka, having already qualified, will take on Maharashtra (currently fifth on the table) at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh. Delhi will play Saurashtra at Reliance Stadium, Vadodara, while Rajasthan will clash against Vidarbha at Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, Greater Noida, between Rajasthan and Vidarbha. Assam, already relegated, will sit out from this round of games. Odisha, Delhi and Maharashtra can all qualify, but Odisha will probably have the advantage of playing after the other matches get over.
Ranji Trophy 2016-17 Points Table & team standings
Group C will witness Chhattisgarh play Jammu & Kashmir at Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior; destination Goa will go up against Himachal Pradesh at Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai; Haryana will clash against Tripura at Eden Gardens, Kolkata; Kerala will take on Services at Karnail Singh Stadium Delhi; and neighbours Andhra and Hyderabad will play at Ekana International Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. The group is still wide open. Though Hyderabad are way ahead of others, they may still not make it; Andhra and Haryana, tied at second spot, both make strong cases; while Kerala, Himachal and Goa can all qualify, depending on the outcomes of the other matches.
