Ranji Trophy 2024/25 semi-finals: Decoding players to watch out for
What's the story
The semi-final stage of the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy season is set to get underway from February 17 onward.
Vidarbha face Mumbai in Nagpur whereas Gujarat take on Kerala in Ahmedabad.
Notably, Vidarbha defeated Tamil Nadu in the quarters whereas Mumbai tamed Haryana.
Gujarat defeated Saurashtra and Kerala progressed despite a draw against J&K.
Ahead of the semis, here are players to watch out for.
#1
Shardul Thakur - Mumbai
Shardul Thakur has been one of the standout performers for Mumbai with his serious match-winning skills.
He has played a key role in helping Mumbai progress.
In 8 matches, Thakur owns 33 wickets at 19.96 with the help of three four-fers and a fifer.
With the bat, Thakur has made tremendous impact, scoring 402 runs from 10 innings at 40.20 (100s: 1, 50s: 3).
#2
Karun Nair - Vidarbha
Karun Nair was brilliant in Vidarbha's quarter-final win. He slammed a century in his side's first innings.
Nair, who had a sensational 2024/25 Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, has been in fine touch in the ongoing Ranji season.
As per ESPNcricinfo, in 7 matches (12 innings), he owns a total of 591 runs at 49.25 with the help of three tons and a fifty.
#3
Siddharth Desai - Gujarat
Slow left-arm orthodox, Siddharth Desai, has been a standout performer for Gujarat in the Ranji 2024/25 campaign.
Desai has featured in 8 matches and across 14 innings he owns 35 wickets at 23.40.
In addition to a fifer, he has bagged two 4-wicket hauls. His best performance in an inning reads 9/36.
Overall, he owns 178 wickets in First-Class cricket at 25.
#4
Jalaj Saxena - Kerala
The Gujarat versus Kerala contest can be determined by a stern battle between spinners Desai and Jalaj Saxena.
Saxena has been Kerala's top performer with the ball. He has accounted for 34 wickets from 8 matches (13 innings) at 16.82.
Notably, he owns five fifers in the ongoing Ranji season.
The former Madhya Pradesh all-rounder has 478 wickets in FC cricket at 25.11.