Rinku Singh Shines Again with Century as Ranji Trophy Heats Up

New Delhi, October 18 (Daily Kiran) : In a thrilling day of the Ranji Trophy, Rinku Singh continued his impressive form with a century, while Uday Saharan’s unbeaten hundred helped Punjab secure a solid position against Chhattisgarh. The match took place at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh on October 18, 2026.

Shubman Gill’s return to the tournament was short-lived as he was dismissed for just one run after facing only five balls. However, Saharan, the captain, played a pivotal role, scoring an unbeaten 106 runs off 168 balls, including 13 boundaries, guiding Punjab to a score of 269/4. Rinku Singh also shone brightly, scoring 118 runs not out off 186 balls, aided by 11 fours and 2 sixes, helping Uttar Pradesh recover from a challenging position.

In contrast, Prinyash Arya narrowly missed his first double century in first-class cricket, falling just one run short. Ayush Badoni, the captain for Delhi, also contributed significantly with an unbeaten 115 runs, leading his team to a formidable score of 381/4 against Gujarat.

Saharan, who captained India to the runners-up position in the Under-19 World Cup 2024, effectively utilized sweep and slog sweep shots against Chhattisgarh’s left-arm spinners, Dharmendra Singh Jadeja and Ajay Mandal. Openers Vihan Malhotra and Harnoor Pannu provided a decent start, but both were dismissed LBW by Jadeja and Mandal, respectively.

Gill’s struggles continued as he was forced to come forward, leading to his stumping. However, Saharan and Prabhsimran Singh (62 runs off 133 balls) formed a crucial partnership of 130 runs for the fourth wicket, stabilizing the innings. Although Jadeja dismissed Prabhsimran before the tea break, Saharan remained relentless, achieving his third first-class century.

In Kanpur, Rinku Singh scored his 11th first-class century, marking his second consecutive century of the season. He single-handedly lifted Uttar Pradesh from 137/9 to 202 against Goa. Meanwhile, Baroda bowled out Bihar for 166 runs, thanks to Raj Limbani’s four wickets, and reached 77/3 at the end of the day’s play.

In Srinagar, Kavalpreet Singh fell just short of a century, but his efforts helped Jammu and Kashmir post a total of 260 runs against Vidarbha. Madhya Pradesh’s pace attack restricted Puducherry to 177 runs, leaving them with a score of 23/2.

In Elite Group B, Manvant Kumar achieved his first first-class fifty, helping Karnataka recover in their match against Saurashtra. Despite early setbacks from Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya, Karnataka reached 281/8. Assam posted 228/6 against Tripura, while Andhra’s spinners bowled Hyderabad out for 275 runs, leaving them with 9 runs without loss at day’s end.

Bengal, without their star pacer Mohammad Shami, struggled against Services, getting bowled out for 184 runs but managed to reduce Services to 83/5. Kerala, led by Sachin Baby’s unbeaten 112, scored 245/6 against Odisha.

In Elite Group D, Mumbai bowled out Himachal Pradesh for 140 runs and ended the day at 107/2, still trailing by 33 runs. In Chennai, Tamil Nadu‘s left-arm bowlers Gurjapneet Singh and R Sai Kishore took eight wickets to dismiss Uttarakhand for 134 runs.

Uttarakhand’s Avneesh Sudha scored 54 runs, while Mayank Mishra contributed 33 runs. Tamil Nadu ended the day at 85/2, still 49 runs behind. Rain in Chennai delayed the start of play, which was cut short due to poor light.

In Jaipur, Rajasthan, without Manav Suthar, reached 247/2 against Railways, while Haryana bowled out Chandigarh for 103 runs, establishing a lead with 139/4.

In the Plate Group, Meghalaya scored 325/6 against Manipur, while Mizoram posted 331 runs against Nagaland. Sikkim reached 147/1 in response to Arunachal Pradesh’s 121 runs.