Ranji round 5, day 1: Shami bowls 10 overs; Karnataka ahead on 15-wicket day

Mohammed Shami managed 10 overs across two spells (four and six) on his comeback to competitive cricket for the first time since last year's World Cup final. Shami's role with the bat too was minimal - he managed 2 off six at No. 10 in Bengal's 228. They're now chasing the game as Madhya Pradesh have complete control over proceedings.

In Lucknow, as many as 15 wickets fell on a green top as Karnataka first skittled Uttar Pradesh for 85 and then suffered a top-order collapse themselves to end at 127 for 5. There was a five-wicket haul for seamer V Koushik and an unbeaten half-century for wicketkeeper KL Shrijith.

Jammu & Kashmir's seam-bowling allrounder Auqib Nabi, who I believe is among the uncapped players to look out for at the IPL auction, picked up his fifth five-wicket haul this season as Tripura folded for 165. J&K are currently second in Group A.

Left-arm spinner S Ajith Ram returns a four-wicket haul as Tamil Nadu have skittled Railways for 229 in Ahmedabad. In response, TN have tried something out-of-the-box by opening the batting with M Shahrukh Khan alongside N Jagadeesan.

Whether this is a move borne by necessity, only time will tell. TN need to rack up a couple of wins quickly to stand a chance for the knockouts. And perhaps Shahrukh up top has been given the license to try and raze down the runs to drive the game forward.

With one win in four games, TN are currently third.

Group D:

Plate Group

1. Arjun Tendulkar's five-for gives Goa control v Arunachal. Kashyap Bakle and Snehal Kauthankar slam hundreds as Goa open up a lead of over 300.

2. D Nischal and Chetan Bisht in massive stand as Nagaland run Mizoram ragged.

3. Pheiroijam Jotin's maiden first-class century studs Manipur domination against Sikkim.

He moved to Kerala to start afresh after not being picked by Tamil Nadu during their run to the Ranji semi-finals last year. A vacancy had cropped up because Shreyas Gopal left, and Kerala had hoped Aparajith would be their batting mainstay, especially with Sanju Samson unlikely to have been available for the entire season due to national commitments.

But five games in, he's yet to hit a single half-century. His latest miss came on Wednesday when he was out for a five-ball duck against Haryana in Lahli, while opening the batting. His scores so far this season read: 3, 39*, 19, 0, 32 and 0.

This hasn't affected Kerala's fortunes hugely as they've had some of the other batters step up. Maybe it's this winning cushion that they've got - they sit second in Group C with two wins in four games, which could help give Aparajith a longer rope in his quest to find form.

Kerala are 122/2 after severe fog delayed the start of play against table-toppers Haryana.

From someone who is watching at the Holkar Stadium.

Bengal's first breakthrough, meanwhile, comes from his younger brother, Mohammed Kaif. MP 51/1 in reply to Bengal's 228.

Services recover from 72/4 to 143/4 v Mumbai in New Delhi

Chirag Jani hits century as Saurashtra in command v Chandigarh

Mahipal Lomror hits century to give Rajasthan control v Uttarakhand

Himachal into the lead after skitting Puducherry for 85

Gujarat collapse around Panchal's 88 v red-hot Vidarbha

Shami vigil at the crease lasts all of six deliveries as Bengal have been bowled out for 228 after being put in to bat by Madhya Pradesh in Indore.

During his short stay of a few minutes there was a special moment of sorts for the family, with both Mohammed Shami and younger brother Mohammed Kaif playing together for the first time in a competitive game.

The fast-bowling pair will have their task cut out with the ball if Bengal are to make a fightback with their campaign on the line. A slew of results early on, thanks to the weather, has left their campaign on choppy waters. Their inability to force an outright win last week against Karnataka means they need to win each of their remaining three games, including this one, to have any hopes of qualifying.

Shahbaz Ahmed walked in to bat at 42 for 4 on a Holkar Stadium green top, and quickly saw that become 79 for 5. Then in the company of Anustup Majumdar, he repaired the innings with a 96-run stand at nearly five an over. After Anustup's dismissal, Shahbaz shifted gears and raced towards a second first-class century, but falls eight short as Bengal are 213 for 8. In walks Mohammed Shami for his first competitive game in nearly a year. Can he belt a few to try and get Bengal close to the 250-run mark?

Group B

In Dharamsala, Puducherry have been bowled out for 85 with Vaibhav Arora and Rishi Dhawan among the wickets for Himachal, currently third on the table, behind Vidarbha (four win in four) and Gujarat (two wins in four). Himachal have a great opportunity to record their third win that will keep them in knockouts contention.

Group C

In Lucknow, Karnataka's V Koushik has taken his second successive five-for as Uttar Pradesh have been bundled out for 89. This is a must-win for both teams to keep their knockouts alive.

He has come close twice earlier, but couldn't get to the landmark. Finally, in his 17th first-class game, Arjun Tendulkar takes a maiden first-class five-for as Arunachal Pradesh have no answers to his swing and seam . They've been bundled out for 84 in just 30.3 overs in Porvorim. Goa look poised for their fifth win in five games in the Plate League and Arunachal their fifth defeat. In 2022, Arjun last made the headlines when he struck a century on Ranji Trophy debut for Goa against Rajasthan.

Koushik had his eyes elsewhere when a throw that was lobbed to him hit him on the forehead. It wasn't a hard knock, but serious enough to get the physio to come over and examine him. He receives the clearance to continue bowling. He's picked up three wickets as UP are currently 71 for 7 early into the second session.

Just 12 first-class match old, Badoni replaces Himmat Singh who had replaced Yash Dhull as captain during the last year’s Ranji trophy. Dhull is now back in a leadership role as vice-captain. Meanwhile, Badoni is returning from a promising Emerging Asia cup where he had made runs at the strike rate of 152. Late last month, he was informed of his retention by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 4 crore, having been an integral part of the setup since inception in 2022.

In IPL 2024, he made 237 runs, much of it in the lower order, at a strike rate of 137.43. He is one of the young players invited by LSG head coach Justin Langer to Perth for off-season training. In August, he captained South Delhi Superstarz in the Delhi premier league (DPL) and made his team into the final. He was tournament’s highest six hitting batter with 51 sixes.

Daya Sagar from Arun Jaitley Stadium: Delhi will bowl first; Virat singh captains Jharkhand in Ishan Kishan's absence. Simarjeet Singh is back for only his second game this season following a recovery from side strain. Ayush Badoni is leading Delhi after his return from the Emerging Asia Cup. He replaces Himmat Singh. No changes in playing sessions, they can extend the evening session if light will be good. First ball @ 11.30am.

In Indore, the cream of Bengal's top order have been sent back as they're tottering on 58 for 4 v Madhya Pradesh, with left-arm spinner Kulwant Khejroliya picking up three wickets.

In Lucknow, UP have been reduced to 37 for 5 after they elected to bat against Karnataka, with pace-bowling duo of V Koushik snd Vidyadhar Patil doing bulk of the damage. Karnataka are without their A-list seam attack with Vyshak Vijaykumar (in South Africa with the T20I team), Prasidh Krishna (in Australia with Test squad) and Vidwath Kaverappa (injured) all missing.

In Jammu, J&K have Tripura struggling at 78 for 5 with seam-bowling allrounder Auqib Nabi picking up four wickets. Nabi is coming off a five-for in each innings in their previous outing last week. Yashasvi Jaiswal's older brother, Tejasvi Jaiswal, is the top-scorer so far with 33.

Puducherry are 49 for 6 against Himachal in Dharamsala, with their last batting hope KB Arun Karthik back in the pavillion.

The Ranji Trophy was preponed to minimise effects of weather, especially in northern India, but here we are, very early in November, with games across the north delayed due to smog that is very typical of the region at this time of the year. And it's an issue that happens year-on-year, which you believe may have gotten the organisers, in this case the BCCI, to plan their schedules accordingly. Apparently not. So here we are, with as many as three games: Delhi-Jharkhand (Kotla), Services-Mumbai (Palam, New Delhi) and Haryana-Kerala (Lahli) delayed. The game between Chandigarh and Saurashtra, has however, begun, while Punjab v Bihar has been delayed in Mohali.

Chandigarh began with a crushing 181-run loss to Railways, but have bounced back to record three straight victories to currently top Group D. They've struck off the first ball of their fifth-round clash against Saurashtra at home. On current form, they're the team to beat in what is a tough pool.

After their win over Delhi last week, Manan Vohra, their captain, gave the entire team an inspirational speech that beautifully encapsulates their journey this season.

Seems like a great toss to lose for Mayank Agarwal on what seems a green top at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Desperately needing a win to keep their flagging knockout hopes alive, Karnataka have reduced Uttar Pradesh to 5 for 3 inside five overs, with V Koushik delivering a double-wicket maiden early on. This includes the scalp of UP captain Aryan Juyal for a first-ball duck.

There's another fascinating subplot to this contest. Sunil Joshi, UP's coach, will be plotting and planning against the boys from his state, many of whom he has coached. He also played for many years alongside Karnataka's coach Yere Goud.

With just one win in four games, Karnataka are placed fourth. UP are still searching for their first win and are in the bottom half of the pool. Only two teams qualify for the knockouts. And with just three rounds left, including this one, time is running out for both sides.