Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | Saurashtra to host Gujarat; Bengal face Karnataka in semis
Saurashtra will host Gujarat in the first semi-final of the 2019-20 Ranji season at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot, starting from February 29. Elsewhere, Karnataka will travel towards the north-east to take on Bengal in the second semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Two stages down, two to go! We’re at the business end of the 2019-20 season of the Ranji Trophy — the No.1 domestic tournament in the land. All four berths for the last-four stage have been booked. It will be Gujarat, Bengal, Karnataka, and Saurashtra fighting off for the coveted title of domestic champions.Â
Both semis, for respective reasons, promises to be mouthwatering clashes. The in-form Gujarat take on a slowly-peaking Saurashtra, while at the Eden Gardens, it will be two teams who have had an up-and-down season, in Bengal and Karnataka, facing off. Karnataka will be bolstered by the return of KL Rahul, who is expected to feature for the reigning Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali champions.Â
Of the four, Karnataka has the most number of Ranji titles (8) to their name but last made a finals appearance back in 2015. Gujarat are the most recent winners (2017), while their opponents Saurashtra were runners-up last year. Bengal last tasted Ranji glory 30 years ago, and new skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran will be keen to rectify that stat.
