New Delhi, Nov 19 (NationPress) In an exhilarating finish to the 2025/26 Ranji Trophy round five, Gujarat and Saurashtra achieved decisive victories, while Rinku Singh of Uttar Pradesh and Yash Dhull of Delhi each notched impressive centuries in matches that ended in draws.

At the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy in Dehradun, Gujarat triumphed over Uttarakhand by 146 runs. Vishal Jayswal led the bowling attack with four wickets, while Siddharth Desai contributed three. Although Aarav Mahajan scored 60 runs in Uttarakhand's second innings, the team's middle order faltered, sealing their defeat.

Saurashtra achieved an emphatic win against Goa, defeating them by an innings and 47 runs at the Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C in Rajkot. The standout performer, Parth Bhut, was named Player of the Match for his remarkable performance of nine wickets—two in the first and seven in the second innings—leading to Goa's total of 180 after enforcing the follow-on.

At the Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science Ground in Coimbatore, Rinku Singh played a stellar innings, scoring 176 runs to help Uttar Pradesh secure three points by establishing a vital first-innings lead over Tamil Nadu in their Elite Group A clash. After resuming from an overnight score of 98, he completed his ninth first-class century, finishing with a total of 176 runs from 247 balls, including 17 fours and six sixes.

Rinku formed essential partnerships with Shivam Sharma (53) and Kartik Yadav (59), maintaining Uttar Pradesh's competitiveness. Although he was dismissed by P Vidyuth in the 143rd over, Aaqib Khan and Kunal Tyagi held their composure to secure a narrow five-run lead, earning three points for the team.

After Uttar Pradesh was bowled out for 460, Tamil Nadu managed to score 103/2 but only earned one point. The dismissals of B. Sachin (after reaching fifty) and N. Jagadeesan (44) led both teams to agree to a draw. Following this match, Tamil Nadu will see M. Venkataramana take over as head coach from M. Senthilnathan as they prepare for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.

At the Madan Paliwal Miraj Sports Centre in Rajsamand, Yash Dhull showcased his captaincy skills by scoring an outstanding 189 runs off 242 balls, featuring 27 fours and two sixes. This performance helped Delhi avoid an innings defeat against Rajasthan, allowing them to claim one point.

At the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani, Assam exhibited remarkable resilience, batting out 120.4 overs to earn a draw against Bengal in their Group C match. Despite a first-innings total of 200, key contributions from Denish Das (73), Sumit Ghadigaonkar (48), and Sibsankar Roy (52) helped Assam defend against Bengal's challenge, with Abdul Kuraishi remaining unbeaten on 23 off 68 balls.

At Holkar Stadium in Indore, Aryan Pandey and Kumar Kartikeya combined for a gritty 41-run stand for the ninth wicket, ensuring Madhya Pradesh salvaged a point in their Ranji Trophy match against Kerala by surviving nearly 20 overs.

This strong resistance denied Kerala their first victory of the season, as last year’s runners-up collected three points from the drawn match. Sachin Baby and B. Aparajith both struck centuries in a solid 176-run partnership, leading Kerala to declare at 314/5, but their efforts fell short as Madhya Pradesh ended with 167/8 in 69 overs.