Hello Yellow Army!
League phase 1 of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 is finally over, and Round 4 gave us a lot to talk about: a double ton, three wins, a Player of the Match award and a few frustrating draws. If you missed my daily reports, here are Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3, and also our Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3 wrap ups.
On the last day there was not much action for our boys, but a few of them still made it count. Let's put the whole round together, one by one.
CSK Players in Ranji Trophy 2026-27 Round 4 Report Card
| Player | Match | Result | How he fared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urvil Patel | Gujarat vs Kerala | Won by an innings and 58 runs | 210* off 227, Player of the Match |
| Shreyas Gopal | Karnataka vs Assam | Won by an innings and 314 runs | 0/10 and 4/39 (16 overs) |
| Sarfaraz Khan | Mumbai vs Railways | Won by 106 runs | 55 and 29* (25) |
| Kuldip Yadav | Mizoram vs Arunachal Pradesh | Won by an innings and 29 runs | 4/44, 1/13 and 1/39, 1 with the bat |
| Aman Khan | Puducherry vs Jammu and Kashmir | Drawn | 14 and 52* (54), 0/47 |
| Prashant Veer | Uttar Pradesh vs Baroda | Drawn | 0/53, 14 and 3/42 |
| Kartik Sharma | Rajasthan vs Himachal Pradesh | Drawn | 9 and 63 (59) |
| Gurjapneet Singh | Tamil Nadu vs Chandigarh | Won by an innings and 259 runs | 1/16, 1/34 and 0/44 (29 overs) |
Urvil Patel: a double ton and Player of the Match
What a round for Urvil! After 63* on day 1, he carried on to an unbeaten 210 off 227 balls with 17 fours and 6 sixes, his maiden double century in first-class cricket, as Gujarat declared on 534/9.
The bowlers then did the rest. Kerala were bowled out for 279 and forced to follow on, and they were dismissed for 197, so Gujarat won by an innings and 58 runs with a bonus point. Urvil was named Player of the Match for his 210*, and Gujarat finish league phase 1 on 16 points, third in Elite Group C behind Maharashtra and Bengal.
I was asking for one big, long innings from him after the 85 in Round 1 and the 96 in Round 3, and he gave me far more than I asked for. With 427 runs in 5 innings at an average of 106.75, he is having a season to remember, and I think no one can doubt his red-ball cricket now.
Shreyas Gopal: back-to-back wins for Karnataka
Our captain did not do much on day 1, with a wicketless 4-over spell, but he saved his best for later. In the second innings he took 4 wickets for 39 runs in 12 overs, and Karnataka won by an innings and 314 runs, declaring on 577/6 against Assam's 135 and 128.
It is a back-to-back win after the innings win over Tripura in Round 3, and with another innings victory it comes with bonus points as well. After his 5/36 last time, two big wins in a row is a great way for the captain to end league phase 1. Karnataka finish on 16 points in Elite Group B, behind Hyderabad on 20.
Sarfaraz Khan: Mumbai win again, now 4 out of 4
As expected, Mumbai kept winning, and they did it by 106 runs against Railways. Sarfaraz played his part with a 55 on day 1, and then, for the first time this season, he got a chance to bat in the second innings, finishing unbeaten on 29 off 25 balls as Mumbai declared on 234/4 at just the right time.
Railways were chasing 372 and were bowled out for 265, so Mumbai finished league phase 1 with a win in every match, 27 points and the top spot in Elite Group D. And I got my second-innings wish in the end.
Kuldip Yadav: a first win for Mizoram
Kuldip started the round on fire with a 4/44 on day 1, and followed up with a 1/13 in 9 overs on day 3, when he also made 1 with the bat as Mizoram declared on 571/9.
On the last day he added a 1/39 in 16 overs, and Arunachal Pradesh were bowled out for 257 after their 285, so Mizoram won by an innings and 29 runs, along with bonus points. Finally a win for his team in this phase, and he was a big part of it with the ball.
Aman Khan: another fighting fifty, but still no win for Puducherry
Aman had a mixed round. He was unbeaten on 9 on day 1, then out for 14 on day 2, and went wicketless for 47 in 12 overs on day 3 as Qamran Iqbal and Shubham Khajuria put on a 344-run opening stand.
But on the last day he came back with yet another second-innings fifty, an unbeaten 52 off 54 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes. He walked in at 185/5 with around 20 overs left and helped Puducherry draw the match on 269/6, after J&K declared on 555/6. J&K took 3 points for the first-innings lead and Puducherry got 1.
That is a hat-trick of draws for Puducherry, and no win in league phase 1. Aman's second-innings fifties, the 62 against UP and this one, saved his team twice, and I would still love to see that big first-innings score from him.
Prashant Veer: a good fightback with the ball
It was a new face in our Ranji report this round. Prashant Veer played his first Ranji match of the season for Uttar Pradesh and went wicketless for 53 in 12 overs on day 2, then added 14 with the bat on day 3 as UP crossed 450.
But on the last day he came back well with 3 wickets for 42 runs in 17 overs, a good fightback. Baroda ended on 169/6 and the match was drawn, with UP taking 3 points for the first-innings lead (492 against 355) and Baroda 1. A good last day performance from him in his comeback match.
Kartik Sharma: another draw for Rajasthan
This was a frustrating one. Kartik fell for 9 on day 1 when Rajasthan were bowled out for just 78, and Himachal Pradesh took a 75-run lead with 153.
Rajasthan fought back superbly in the second innings, and Kartik made a quick 63 off 59 balls before they declared on 521/8, setting HP a target of 447. But the bowlers could not take the last 3 wickets on the final day, and Himachal Pradesh ended on 313/7, so the match was drawn.
The draw streak continues for Rajasthan, who are still waiting for their first win of the season. And it hurts more because this time it was the poor first innings that cost them. After giving up the lead, Himachal Pradesh took 3 points and Rajasthan had to settle for just 1, which takes them to 10 points.
Gurjapneet Singh: Tamil Nadu win again
Gurjapneet did not bat, because Tamil Nadu declared on 571/7, and he had a tight 1/16 in 7 overs on day 2. On day 3 he finished the first innings with 1/34 in 12 overs as Chandigarh were bowled out for 94 and forced to follow on, and then went for 0/44 in 10 overs in the second innings.
He did not need to bowl on the last day, and his figures stayed at 10 overs for 44 runs. Tamil Nadu bowled Chandigarh out for 218 in the follow-on, and won by an innings and 259 runs after declaring on 571/7 against 94 and 218. It is a hat-trick of wins for Tamil Nadu, and our boy is again in the winning side. With the bonus point, they finish league phase 1 on 21 points, 2nd in Elite Group D, just behind Mumbai on 27.
Who did not play
- Ayush Mhatre is still out for Mumbai with a Grade 4 hamstring tear.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad did not play for Maharashtra, as he is with the Indian team for the ODI series in New Zealand, and he has been named in both ODI squads.
- Mukesh Choudhary (Maharashtra) is with India A in New Zealand, while Anshul Kamboj (Haryana) is playing for India in the ODIs, and was the Player of the Match in the 1st ODI.
- Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube are with the Indian team on the New Zealand tour.
Round 4 Review: Urvil Patel's Double Ton and a Perfect League Phase for Sarfaraz Khan's Mumbai
For me, the highlight of the round is obviously Urvil Patel. A maiden double century, Player of the Match and an innings win for Gujarat, all in one go, and exactly the long innings I had been asking him for.
And who would have expected a double ton from a T20 power hitter? But I guess you have to believe it, because there is always a first time.
Then there are Shreyas Gopal, Kuldip Yadav and Gurjapneet Singh, who all did the job with the ball for their teams in big innings wins, maybe not the highlight ones, and Sarfaraz Khan, whose Mumbai finish league phase 1 with a perfect record.
On the other side, Rajasthan and Puducherry are still waiting for a win, but Kartik Sharma and Aman Khan both showed a lot of fight with the bat in the second innings. I am still waiting for one big innings from both of them, like Urvil's, that can actually win their team a match.
Now that league phase 1 is done, almost every player has shown something to the fans, and as I said before, many of these players will be on the radar for the IPL 2027 squad, so every game still counts. The better they perform, the stronger the case they can make to enter the playing XI.
This is where I sign off from the Ranji Trophy for now, as the next phase will start from January 17. Until then, I will keep bringing you the other domestic tournaments, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where we will actually see how our boys do in T20 and one-day cricket.
I will keep adding every update on the Super Kings Player Tracker, so keep an eye on it.
Stay healthy stay yellow.