Karnataka’s wait for Ranji Trophy redemption ends after 11 long years. A commanding performance in the first semifinal against Uttarakhand at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow culminated in a draw that confirmed their final qualification, thanks to a hefty first-innings lead.
The star-studded Karnataka batting lineup set the tone early, amassing 736 in their first essay. Devdutt Padikkal’s 232-run double ton was the highlight, backed by KL Rahul’s 141 and Smaran R Ravichandran’s 135. Aditya Rawat’s four-fer and Mayank Mishra’s three wickets provided some resistance for Uttarakhand.
Chasing the mountain of runs, Uttarakhand folded for 233, with Lakshya Rajesh’s 55 the best they could muster. Aditya Rawat fought valiantly with 45 not out. Karnataka’s bowlers dominated: Vidhyadhar Patil and Vijaykumar Vyshak shared six wickets, Shreyas Gopal took two.
Batting again, Karnataka declared at 323, Smaran Ravichandran’s 127 and Rahul’s unbeaten 86 lighting up the innings. Uttarakhand’s second innings stuttered to 260/6, falling way short of the 827 target. This sets up an epic final against Jammu & Kashmir, who stunned Bengal to reach their first-ever decider on February 24.