Ranji Trophy: Everything about Round 7 matches featuring Kohli, Rahul
What's the story
The final round of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 begins Thursday, with seven knockout spots up for grabs.
Notably, fifteen teams across four groups remain in contention, and in the Elite group, only Vidarbha have secured their quarter-final berth so far.
However, defending champions Mumbai are on the verge of being knocked out.
Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming matches featuring the likes of Virat Kohli (Delhi) and KL Rahul (Karnataka).
Comeback
Kohli's return to domestic cricket
The spotlight of the tournament is on former India captain Kohli, who returns to the Delhi side.
Meanwhile, this marks his first domestic fixture in over a decade.
In his last outing for Delhi, Kohli managed 14 runs off 19 balls in the first innings (two fours).
Additionally, Kohli's team has a slim chance of reaching the knockouts, provided they win their final game with an extra point and other group results go their way.
Key match
Kohli's Delhi to face Railways at Arun Jaitley Stadium
The last match in Elite Group D will witness Delhi, led by Ayush Badoni, face Railways in New Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
This game is especially important as it marks Kohli's return to domestic cricket after a long time.
The match will be broadcast live on the Sports 18 network starting January 30.
Additionally, the Delhi vs Railways, Baroda vs J&K, Karnataka vs Haryana, and Bengal vs Punjab matches will be streamed live on JioCinema app and website.
Rahul
Rahul set to return for Karnataka
KL Rahul is set to return in the Ranji Trophy. Rahul will play for Karnataka after a gap of five years in the format.
The 2019-2020 season was when he last participated in a Ranji Trophy match for Karnataka.
Notably, before that appearance, he had not participated in the competition for two seasons.
Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are set to open for Karnataka.
The Vijay Hazare Trophy winners take on Haryana.
Fixtures
Schedule for Round 7 matches
The schedule for the upcoming Round 7 matches has been announced.
In Elite Group A, Odisha will take on Services at DRIEMS Ground in Cuttack.
Meanwhile, Baroda will battle J&K at Reliance Cricket Stadium in Vadodara, while Maharashtra will lock horns with Tripura at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Solapur.
Additionally, Mumbai will also face Meghalaya at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC in Mumbai.
More fixtures
Elite Group B and C matches
In Elite Group B, Gujarat will meet Himachal Pradesh at Gujarat College Cricket Ground 'A' in Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, Vidarbha will meet Hyderabad at VCA Stadium in Nagpur, while Pondicherry will meet Uttarakhand at Siechem Stadium in Puducherry.
Additionally, Andhra Pradesh will meet Rajasthan at ACA Sports Complex in Vizianagaram.
For Elite Group C, Bengal will lock horns with Punjab at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, and Karnataka will meet Haryana at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Final fixtures
Remaining matches in Elite Group C and D
Continuing with Elite Group C, Kerala will face Bihar at Sports Hub Cricket Stadium in Trivandrum, while Madhya Pradesh will take on Uttar Pradesh at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
In Elite Group D, Jharkhand will play Tamil Nadu at Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur, while Chhattisgarh will meet Chandigarh at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.
Meanwhile, Saurashtra will take on Assam at Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C in Rajkot.
Twitter Post
Final round of the schedule
Excitement. Adrenaline. Nerves 🔥🧊
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 29, 2025
The stage is set for a cracking final round of the Group Stage of the #RanjiTrophy 💥
Here are the games you can watch live on Jio Cinema💻
Follow all the updates on https://t.co/pQRlXkCguc & @BCCIdomestic on X 📱@IDFCFIRSTBankpic.twitter.com/9WdtVCCmoZ