Ranji Trophy: Clash of giants - Mumbai takes on Karnataka
The HinduIt is one of the most — if the not the most — high-profile affair in the domestic cricket calendar. However, more than living up to the big-match tag, both Mumbai and Karnataka will be hoping to revive their Ranji Trophy campaign at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra-Kurla Complex facility. Karnataka’s eight Ranji titles are the second-best to Mumbai’s whopping 41 but in the recent past, Karnataka has been the team to beat, with consistent performances across formats. With Shardul Thakur set to be on national duty along with Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube, Mumbai would be pinning its hopes on Ajinkya Rahane to make his last appearance of the season count for the home team with a big knock. Considering the flat deck, captain Suryakumar Yadav hinted at including a spinner but an early start — 9am — to ensure a full day’s play may tempt the home team to bolster its pace department.