New Delhi: Ranji Trophy quarter final line up has been determined after 9 rounds of hard fought cricket and 8 teams will battle it out for four semi final berths now. Defending Champions Vidarbha, heavyweight teams like Mumbai, Punjab and Delhi have failed to make it to the last eight.
Here is a look at the quarter final line up:
Gujarat - With five wins under their belt , the team lead by Parthiv Patel have topped the points table and sailed through to the last 8 stage without any problems . They will now play Goa in the quarter finals and are firm favourites to book a place in the semis.
Bengal - Bengal had to get at least 7 points in their last two encounters . With victories against Rajasthan and Punjab both in away matches, Bengal have sealed a place in last 8. Shahbaz Ahmed has been the hero of Bengal's success so far with the all rounder contributed heavily with both his batting and bowling abilities. Manoj Tiwary too played valuable knocks when the team was under pressure on difficult batting wickets.
Karnataka - Karnataka's journey has been of mixed fortunes so far . They started with a couple of draws and later defeated teams like Mumbai and Baroda.
Saurashtra - Seasoned campaigners Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat both have contributed heavily with bat and ball respectively as Saurashtra gathered 31 points to qualify for the last eight stage . They managed to win three matches in the league stage.
Andhra Pradesh - Riding on some brilliant display from Hanuma Vihari in the initial phase of the tournament Andhra started off brilliantly with four wins out of first five encounters. Later they couldn't carry their momentum but still managed to grab a place in the quarter finals of India's most prestigious domestic cricket tournament.
Jammu and Kashmir - J & K topped the Group C and won as many as 6 matches while losing just a single match. Jammu and Kashmir will face Karnataka in the last 8 stage now.
Odisha - In an Eastern Indian battle Odisha will face Bengal in the last eight stage of Ranji Trophy after finishing at the second spot in Group C behind Jammu and Kashmir. Seasoned campaigners Basant Mohanty along with Rajesh Mohanty played a crucial role in Odisha's entry into the last 8 stage.
Goa - Last but not the least Goa ,the winner of the plate group made it to the last eight stage . Goa will now face Gujarat in the quarter finals.