da casino： A preview of the third-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2008-09
da betcris： Cricinfo staff15-Nov-2008
Ajit Agarkar has combined well with Dhawal Kulkarni and Ramesh Powar so far in the season © Cricinfo Ltd
The Ranji Trophy Super League has got off to an extremely slow start this time. Of the 14 matches in the first two rounds, five have yielded results: three of them by an innings, one by nine wickets, and the other by 237 runs. The tense draws and close wins are not to be seen. In testing times for the longer version of cricket, the Ranji Trophy can do with better contests.With three teams from each group going through to the knockout stages, a team like Mumbai, who have had two outright wins, can even think of booking their place in the next stage. But in the third round, the onus is on the other sides: the Ranji Trophy needs to take off some time soon.A look at the Super League matches starting Sunday:Group ADelhi v Mumbai in Delhi
Once upon a time this was a big rivalry in domestic cricket. Mumbai had dominated this contest [three outright wins and two first-innings lead in five matches] over the last ten years, but their clash last season was different.In 2007-08, the two played out an interesting game. Delhi shot Mumbai out for 166, but could manage only an 85-run lead. Mumbai came back strongly, scoring 471 in the second innings, and then Delhi batted out more than a day to hang on to the three points they had gained through a first-innings lead. This time, the last two champions could bring the Ranji Trophy to life if they manage a close contest.Coming into the match, Delhi haven’t been playing like defending champions. After having secured three points against Punjab at home, Delhi went to Hyderabad and conceded the first-innings lead to an average side. Fitness problems have affected them, too: comeback man Ashish Nehra strained a hamstring during the second match. They have also dropped Amit Bhandari.Mumbai have had a superb start to the season. In Dhawal Kulkarni they have found a promising medium-pacer. In Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar, Kulkarni has found ample support. Mumbai have thumped Rajasthan and Gujarat already, and in such form they are a tough team to stop.Gujarat v Hyderabad in Ahmedabad
Gujarat will know they have had a strange start to the season. In the first round, they pummelled Saurashtra by an innings; in the second they were at the receiving end of similar treatment from Mumbai, against whom they scored their second-lowest total ever – 44. The momentum from the first match is gone, and they will have to start afresh against a team that has quietly registered two first-innings leads, and made its way into a four-way tie for the second spot in the group. With Gujarat and Hyderabad being two of those four teams, this match becomes interesting because one of them would have made important headway by the end of the next four days.Orissa v Rajasthan in Sambalpur
Both the teams have had a rude start to the season. Rajasthan lost outright to Mumbai and Punjab, while Orissa were at the wrong end of the festivities in Rajkot last week. After Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja broke record after record against their bowling, Orissa couldn’t manage 200 overs between their two innings. Standing at 1 and 0 points, the thoughts of relegation won’t be far from their minds. And in such cases, matches against the other relegation contenders are absolutely crucial.Saurashtra v Punjab in Rajkot
These are two teams on an upswing after disappointing starts to their seasons. In the first round, Saurashtra lost by an innings to Gujarat, and Punjab managed one point against Delhi. In the second, Saurashtra won by an innings against Orissa, and Punjab beat Rajasthan by nine wickets. Now these are two teams who are equal in terms of trends, and in terms of points – tied at six.Group BUttar Pradesh v Tamil Nadu in Ghaziabad
This is the top-of-the-table clash in Group B. Both teams have got six points each, courtesy two draws. Numerically they might be in a similar position, but Tamil Nadu have been far more impressive in the early stages. Twice they have enforced follow-ons after huge first-innings scores, but on both occasions they ran out of time – against Maharashtra and Karnataka. Their batting seems to be in superb health, and if their bowlers can work a way to get 20 wickets on a regular basis, they could be a force in the Ranji Trophy again.UP, on the other hand, have just about hung on, despite an indifferent start to the season. Their batting remains their weak point, and with Suresh Raina gone, Mohammad Kaif and Tanmay Srivastava will have to continue carrying the batting on their shoulders. UP’s bowling, with Praveen Kumar, Sudeep Tyagi and Piyush Chawla in the side, versus TN’s batting should be a good contest.Railways v Baroda in Delhi
Both the teams have played only one game each so far, and Railways have had a better start in that one match. They played the one-innings game well, against Karnataka, and went back with three points. But Baroda, semi-finalists for three years in a row, are not a team to be underestimated.
