Ranji Trophy: KL Rahul's masterclass guides Karnataka to final four

New Delhi [India], February 9 (ANI): India's star batter KL Rahul's outstanding 130 helped Karnataka to gun down a daunting 325-run target to knock 42-time champions Mumbai out in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final at the Sharad Pawar Academy in Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai, on Monday.
Rahul struck his 24th first-class hundred, scoring 130 from 182 deliveries, laced with 14 fours and a six, to anchor the chase.
Apart from Rahul, Smaran Ravichandran also provided vital support with his unbeaten 83 off 123 balls, including 11 fours, to seal the match for his side.
Vidyadhar Patil eventually struck the winning run, completing a significant victory for Karnataka. Karnataka will take on first-timers Uttarakhand in the semi-final beginning February 15.
In another fixture, Auqib Nabi's 12-fer guides Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to their maiden Ranji Trophy semi-final as they beat Madhya Pradesh (MP) in Indore by 56 runs on Monday.
Sixty-seven years after they first featured in the Ranji Trophy, and six years after they last made the knockouts, J&K scripted history by storming into their maiden semi-final.
Nabi returned staggering match figures of 12 for 110 to seal the epochal win. Nabi, the only seamer in the top-five wicket-takers' list this Ranji Trophy, took his season's tally to 46 wickets, second behind Uttarakhand's Mayank Mishra, who has 52.
Auqib followed up his stunning first-innings figures of 7/40 with another incisive spell of 5/70.
Chasing 291 MP were bundled out for 234 with Saransh Jain being the lone warrior for this side with the bat, scoring 64 off 81 balls, including seven fours and a six.
Jammu & Kashmir will now take on the winner of the quarterfinal between Andhra and Bengal. (ANI)