Sky-high hopes as Kerala set to clash Gujarat in second ever Ranji trophy semis

AHMEDABAD: With all eyes on the Ranji Trophy final, Kerala will face Gujarat in the semifinals on Monday. The semi-final match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad from 9.30 am on Monday.

Kerala's trump card is Salman Nizar, who has scored a century in the last two matches, while Mohammad Azharuddin, Nidhish MD, Jalaj Saxena and Akshay Chandran are in trailblazing forms, upping Kerala’s chances. The Kerala team led by Sachin Baby are favourites for this year’s trophy, mostly for their lethal batting lineup.

Kerala reached the semifinals after defeating prominent teams like Mumbai and Baroda in the quarter on the back of a one-run lead in the first innings. This is Kerala's second semi-final entry in the history of the Ranji trophy. Before this, Kerala played the Ranji semi-final in the 2018/19 season. They lost to Vidarbha that day.

Gujarat qualified for the semi-finals with an innings win over former champions Saurashtra in the quarterfinals. Gujarat flaunts a strong team with Indian players Ravi Bishnoi, Urvi Patel, Jaimeet Patel and others.

Defending champions Mumbai will clash with Vidarbha in the other semi-final starting on Monday.