KL Rahul scored 141(211) [Source: BCCIdomestic/X.com]One of India's domestic cricket powerhouse Karnataka are once again marching towards the Ranji Trophy title as they are in the midst of a semi-final clash against Uttarakhand. While Uttarakhand are playing their first semi-final ever, Karnataka, led by the batting heroics of KL Rahul have asserted early domination in the match to add an extra bit of pressure on the first-time semi-finalists. The in-form Rahul was also instrumental in their win over Punjab to qualify for the knockouts, and he scored 130 in the chase against Mumbai in the quarter-final to make their way to the final easier. KL Rahul continues his century-scoring form for Karnataka In the semi-final, which is being played at the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, Uttarakhand asked Karnataka to bat first on what initially looked like seamer-friendly conditions in the first hour. Mayank Agarwal was dismissed cheaply for 5 (32) by Aditya Rawat’s right-arm medium pace before KL Rahul shouldered the responsibility and stuck to one end. Rahul batted cautiously in the first hour alongside captain Devdutt Padikkal and went to his fifty in 86 balls. To reach his 25th FC hundred, the next 50 runs came a bit quicker, wicket a few more sixes to his name as he reached the 100-run milestone in 150 balls with 8 fours and four sixes.He tried to carry the bat at stumps but was eventually dismissed for 141 (211) off Rawat on a soft caught-and-bowled, and the big stand of 278 (394) ended in the third session. Devdutt Padikkal helps Rahul avert an early collapse The ball was moving a bit early on Day 1 of the match, and it was important for the skipper to play a big knock after Agarwal was dismissed early. Rahul took the more defensive route, and Padikkal explored his scoring options and brought up his fifty just before lunch in just 65 balls with 4 fours and a six. He eventually slowed down a bit and got a hundred in 144 balls with 12 fours and two sixes. After Rahul got out, Padikkal slowed down even more to get through the remainder of the last hour of the day and remains 130* (214) at the time of writing, alongside Karun Nair’s 11* (18). Thanks to the 278-run partnership, Karnataka are 310/2 after 78 overs bowled by Uttarakhand. Karnataka eye first Ranji Trophy final in 11 years The second most successful team in the history of Ranji Trophy, Karnataka, haven’t made it to the final of the tournament since 2014/15. They had defeated Tamil Nadu to claim their second consecutive and 8th overall title, going past Delhi in the race. The likes of KL Rahul, Mayank Yadav and Karun Nair were the youngsters who were involved in that win and could once again lead them to glory in 2025/26, as they remain one of the strongest remaining sides in the tournament. After the start given by KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal’s partnership, they will be looking to bat Uttarakhand out of this match in the first innings of the semi-final. If they topple this opponent, either Bengal or Jammu and Kashmir will be their potential opponent in the final.
