Top players to watch out from Madhya Pradesh
Highlights
- Madhya Pradesh were involved in only one draw which was against Kerala
- Team Madhya Pradesh defeated Bengal in the semi-final by 174 runs
- This is Madhya Pradesh's first final since 1998-99 season
It is almost time as Mumbai takes on Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Finals starting on June 21, 2022, at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. All the odds are stacked up against Madhya Pradesh who have qualified for the finals for the first time since the 1998-99 season. On the other hand, Mumbai who have dominated the domestic tournament since its inception have earned themselves a spot for the 47th time. With Madhya Pradesh making giant strides in the tournament, a high-octane contest is expected to be played out.
Madhya Pradesh surprised everybody as they stamped their authority on a strong Bengal outfit and defeated them by 174 runs after setting a target of 350. Here's a glimpse at the top 5 Madhya Pradesh players who are likely to put up a stellar show and challenge Mumbai:
Kumar Kartikeya
This left-arm spinner has had an outstanding season so far and is the second-leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2022 season. Kartikeya has claimed 27 scalps so far in five matches at an average of 16.33. The 24-year-old claimed 3-61 in the match against Bengal which enabled Madhya Pradesh to tighten its grip on the game. Madhya Pradesh will have its hopes pinned on this youngster as they lock horns with Mumbai for the final lap.
Rajat Patidar
This particular player certainly doesn't need any kind of introduction after his exploits for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Patidar who is having a stellar run amassed a total of 506 runs at an average of 72.28, including one hundred and five fifties. The RCB veteran was at his absolute best as he struck a 79-run knock in the second innings of the semi-final against Bengal. As of now, he is the anchor of MP's batting and Mumbai will look to put up a strong game plan against him.
Himanshu Mantri
Madhya Pradesh's wicketkeeper Himanshu Mantri earned all the praises for himself as he scored a staggering 134* which helped his team reach 271 on the first day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Bengal. In his 280-ball innings, the 28-year-old left-handed opener took the Bengal bowlers to the cleaners as he hit 15 boundaries and one maximum. Mantri will look to give a solid start to his team which can be capitalized by the middle-order and the lower middle-order later.
Yash Dubey
The right-handed Yash Dubey is one of the best batsmen in Madhya Pradesh's lineup. The innings that he had played against Kerala on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match is one innings to be remembered. Dubey makes Madhya Pradesh's batting look extremely dangerous and will want to be in his best touch to give his team every chance of winning the trophy.
Akshat Raghuvanshi
At the age of 18 years, Akshat Raghuvanshi has become one of the mainstays of MPs batting. Team Madhya Pradesh was in a bit of a shocker when they learned that their red-ball mainstays Avesh Khan and Venkatesh Iyer will not be available Ranji Trophy quarterfinals from early June. Raghuvanshi jumped on to this opportunity and smashed a century on debut against Meghalaya and later followed it up with a half-century against Kerala in his second first class innings. Raghuwanshi will want to continue his form and along with the likes of Patidar and Mantri will want to make notable contributions to the game.
