Jatin Saxena

Former India all-rounder Hrishikesh Kanitkar will lead the 15-member Madhya Pradesh cricket team in their first two matches of the upcoming Ranji Trophy.

The Jamtha wicket had no demons. It was still very good to bat on even after three days of wear and tear. Had Vidarbha lower middle-order applied themselves and stayed with allrounder Karn Sharma (52 not out, 7x4, 2x6), they would have crossed Chhattisgarh's 489.

Witnessing a batting collapse in the first innings, Bhopal demonstrated stupendous cricket in their second innings.Bhopal was all out for 148 in their first innings.

The Indians were once poor chasers till Mahendra Singh Dhoni burst onto the scene. He cracked the chasing code keeping cool in tense situations.

The start often turns out crucial in the shorter format.

While Jatin scored a ton against Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare match, Jalaj took four wickets against Australia in the warm-up match in Chennai.

The 2018 IPL auction, which ended on Sunday, brought cheers for five players from Madhya Pradesh.

Chawla's unbeaten 45-run knock not only gave UP their third successive win in the ongoing Central Zone Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy but also broke the Twenty20 jinx against MP.

Wicket-keeper Abhishek Gupta struck an unbeaten century on debut as Punjab reached 484 for six in reply to Himachal Pradesh's mammoth 729 for eight declared on the third day of a Group D Ranji Trophy match, on Sunday.

Eight Cricketers Quit In 45 Days

Winner of the inaugural season in 2008, Rajasthan Royals have returned to the Indian Premier League fold after a two-year suspension.

There's hardly any room for complacency in the shortest format, which generally doesn't give time to recover. MP learned that hard way on Friday.

2015 ended on a good note for Madhya Pradesh cricket. Jalaj Saxena has been adjudged winner of coveted Lala Amarnath award for best all round performance in Ranji Trophy for the season 2014-15.

Two best teams -- Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh -- were battling to prove their might in the Central Zone.

After beating Punjab, Vidarbha are now up against an inexperienced but a talented Chhattisgarh in their second Ranji Trophy match, which begins at Vidarbha Cricket Association's Jamtha stadium on Tuesday.

Mid-table side Kings XI Punjab will look to get their campaign back on track after a couple of defeats when they lock horns with bottom-placed Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League today.

The in-form Rajasthan Royals will be confident of a third consecutive victory when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

As Kerala took the field against Chhattisgarh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match at Feroz Shah Kota in Delhi on Sunday, it was a significant moment for Kerala's Jalaj Saxena and his elder brother Jatin Saxena who was playing for Chhattisgarh. The brothers, originally from Madhya Pradesh, were playing against each other for the first time in a first-class or List-A match.

Tuesday brought double delight for Bhopal cricket after their juniors won under-18 Heeralal Gaikwad trophy for the second time in a row and seniors entered the final of the prestigious Yashwantrao Memorial cricket trophy.

With odds stacked against them, former champions Rajasthan Royals will look to go full throttle when they lock horns with two-time winners and overwhelming favourites Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator today.