Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | BEN v KAR - Mukesh Kumar six-fer leads Bengal to their first final in 13 years
A six-wicket haul from medium-pacer Mukesh Kumar sealed a 174-run win for Bengal over Karnataka in the second semi-final of the 2019-20 Ranji season at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Anustup Majumdar was adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant century in Bengal’s first innings.
Brief scores: Bengal 312 all-out in 92 overs (Anustup Majumdar 149*; Ronit More 3-52) & 161 all-out in 54.4 overs (Sudip Chatterjee 45; Abhimanyu Mithun 4-23) beat Karnataka 122 all-out in 36.2 overs (Krishnappa Gowtham 31; Ishan Porel 5-39) & 177 all-out in 55.3 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 62; Mukesh Kumar 6-61) by 174 runs.
When medium-pacer Akash Deep disturbed the furniture to end Abhimanyu Mithun’s brief cameo of 38, a thrilled Bengal squad, in its entirety, were over the moon. For the first time since 2007, Bengal stood a chance to be named the kings of Indian domestic cricket. Abhimanyu Easwaran’s men now await the winner of Gujarat vs Saurashtra in the finale as they eye only their third Ranji championship.
As for Karnataka, it is a disappointing end to what has been a dream campaign. For the second time in as many years, they have been knocked out in the semi-final — though this time, it’s a heavier loss to bear as they miss out on achieving the coveted domestic treble.
The only sliver of hope the visitors had when play began on the fourth day was the partnership between overnight half-centurion Devdutt Padikkal and Manish Pandey. But all of that was wrecked by Mukesh’s, whose disciplined bowling reduced Karnataka from 99 for three to 118 for seven — with Pandey and Padikkal, the first and the last in the string of wickets. The 26-year-old ended up with his second six-fer in three matches, ensuring an early finish.
Karnataka will look back on letting it slip having won the toss and reducing their hosts to 67 for six. As for Bengal, they will thank Anustup for bailing them out in successive matches and, this time, in both innings — albeit with a bit of luck in the second bout.