Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | Updated points table after the fifth round matches
The fifth round of Ranji Trophy 2019-20 culminated last evening as Andhra, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Jammu and Kashmir recorded victories in their respective matches. The defending champions, Vidarbha had sealed a 9-wicket win against Bengal on the second day while Bihar and Kerala had secured wins in their respective games on the third day.
Cheteshwar Pujara had grabbed the attention of the fans with his 50th first class ton and the right-handed batsman converted it into a double hundred as Saurashtra gained three points from their match against Karnataka. Apart from that, there were a lot of matches which produced no winners and those results have had a big impact on the points table.
Here's a look at the updated points table of Ranji Trophy 2019-20 after the fifth round.
Ranji Trophy 2019-20 Points Table
Elite Group A and B
Andhra has moved to the top of the points table with 21 points in 5 matches. They had won their fifth round match against Hyderabad by an innings. Punjab lost their first match of the season to Kerala yet they managed to hold the second position. Kerala, on the other hand with this win have jumped to the 14th spot as they now have 9 points to their name.
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The defending champions, Vidarbha moved to the 3rd spot with a win over the 10th-placed Bengal who lost their first game. Karnataka survived Cheteshwar Pujara's brilliance as Devdutt Padikkal's patience help them stretch the match into a draw. With one point from this match, Karnataka now have 17 points which is just one more than their rivals, Saurashtra.
Former champions, Gujarat conceded the lead in the first innings against Rajasthan which helped Rajasthan open their account after suffering 3 consecutive losses. Baroda and Uttar Pradesh shared points in Kanpur with Mohammad Saif's hundred helping the hosts take 3 points from the match. Also, Railways notched three points from their match against Madhya Pradesh.
Heavyweights Mumbai and Delhi have let their fans down this season as they hold the 13th and 12th positions on the standings of elite Group A and B, respectively.
Elite Group C
With a thrilling one-wicket win over the third-placed Haryana, Odisha has captured the first position on the Elite Group C points table with 4 wins in 5 games. Jammu and Kashmir are right behind them having registered a win over Services. Maharashtra won their first match of the tournament by crushing the fourth-placed Jharkhand. Assam and Chattisgarh played out a draw in Guwahati while the match between Tripura and Uttarakhand produced the same result.
Plate Group
In the plate group, Goa jumped to the numero uno spot with a 81-run victory against the second-placed Puducherry side. Chandigarh played out a draw with Sikkim to hold on to the third position whereas Nagaland too drew their game with Arunachal Pradesh. Meghalaya crushed Mizoram by an innings and 425 runs courtesy of double centuries from Sanjay Yadav and Dwaraka Ravi Teja. Bihar defeated Manipur by an innings and 183 runs.
The sixth round of Ranji Trophy 2019-20 will begin from 19th January.
Also see: Cheteshwar Pujara scores his 50th First-Class century; enters elite list