# 2018–19 Ranji Trophy Group B

The 2018–19 Ranji Trophy was the 85th season of the Ranji Trophy, the first-class cricket tournament that took place in India. It was contested by 37 teams, divided into four groups, with nine teams in Group B. The group stage ran from 1 November 2018 to 10 January 2019. The top five teams across Group A and Group B progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Ahead of Delhi's first match, in round two of the tournament, Gautam Gambhir stepped down as captain of the side. Nitish Rana was appointed as the new captain of the team. In December 2018, Gambhir announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Gambhir went on to score 112 in his final innings, his 43rd century in first-class cricket.
In round five of the tournament, Ajay Rohera set a new record for the highest score on debut in a first-class match. Batting for Madhya Pradesh against Hyderabad, he scored 267 not out, breaking the record of 260 runs set by Amol Mazumdar in 1994. Naman Ojha became the most successful wicket-keeper in the Ranji Trophy. He broke Vinayak Samant's record of 355 dismissals as a wicket-keeper.
On the final day of the group stage, Kerala qualified from Group B for the quarter-finals.

## Points table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | D | T | NR | Pts | Quot |
| 4 | Kerala | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1.156 |
| 7 | Madhya Pradesh | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1.144 |
| 8 | Bengal | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1.076 |
| 9 | Punjab | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1.017 |
| 10 | Himachal Pradesh | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1.042 |
| 12 | Andhra | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0.900 |
| 13 | Hyderabad | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0.840 |
| 14 | Tamil Nadu | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1.016 |
| 16 | Delhi | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.822 |
* Top five teams across Groups A and B advanced to the knockout stage.
* Bottom two teams across Groups A and B relegated to the Elite Group C for the next season.

## Fixtures
### Round 1

* 1–4 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam Umpires: Mukund Mandale and Sadashiv Iyer Player of the match: Ricky Bhui (Andhra)
* Andhra won the toss and elected to field.
* Mayank Markande (Andhra), Arpit Pannu and Sanvir Singh (Punjab) all made their first-class debuts.
* Sanvir Singh (Punjab) scored his maiden century in first-class cricket.
* 1–4 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, Nadaun Umpires: Ulhas Gandhe and Amit Bansal Player of the match: Aamir Gani (Bengal)
* Bengal won the toss and elected to bat.
* Ekant Sen (Himachal Pradesh) made his first-class debut.
* Pankaj Jaswal (Himachal Pradesh) took his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
* Prashant Chopra (Himachal Pradesh) scored his 3,000th run in first-class cricket.
* 1–4 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn St Xavier's College Ground, Thumba Umpires: Vineet Kulkarni and GS Ananth Ramakrishnan Player of the match: VA Jagadeesh (Kerala)
* Hyderabad won the toss and elected to field.
* Bavanaka Sandeep (Hyderabad) scored his 3,000th run in first-class cricket.
* 1–4 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn NPR College Ground, Dindigul Umpires: K. N. Ananthapadmanabhan and Nand Kishore Player of the match: Rajat Patidar (Madhya Pradesh)
* Madhya Pradesh won the toss and elected to bat.
* No play was possible on day 3 due to rain.
* Abhishek Tanwar (Tamil Nadu), Yash Dubey and Kuldeep Sen (Madhya Pradesh) all made their first-class debuts.
* M. Mohammed (Tamil Nadu) took a hat-trick.

### Round 2

* 12–15 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi Umpires: Tapan Sharma and Navdeep Singh Player of the match: Dhruv Shorey (Delhi)
* Delhi won the toss and elected to bat.
* Hiten Dalal (Delhi) made his first-class debut.
* 12–15 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Eden Gardens, Kolkata Umpires: Amit Bansal and Sadashiv Iyer Player of the match: Manoj Tiwary (Bengal)
* Madhya Pradesh won the toss and elected to field.
* Manoj Tiwary (Bengal) scored his fifth double-century in first-class cricket.
* Aryaman Birla (Madhya Pradesh) scored his maiden century in first-class cricket.
* 12–15 November 2018 Scorecard
* Kerala won by 9 wickets St Xavier's College Ground, Thumba Umpires: Krishnaraj Srinath and Rajesh Timaney Player of the match: Jalaj Saxena (Kerala)
* Andhra won the toss and elected to bat.
* Manish Golamaru and Siva Charan Singh (Andhra) both made their first-class debuts.
* 12–15 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli Umpires: Sivasubramaniyan Shankar and Pashchim Pathak Player of the match: Akshath Reddy (Hyderabad)
* Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat.
* Varun Chakravarthy (Tamil Nadu) made his first-class debut.
* Akshath Reddy (Hyderabad) scored his maiden double-century in first-class cricket.

### Round 3

* 20–23 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad Umpires: Krishnaraj Srinath and Puttarangaiah Jayapal Player of the match: Tanay Thyagarajan (Hyderabad)
* Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat.
* Tanay Thyagarajan (Hyderabad), Sarthak Ranjan, Gaurav Kumar and Simarjeet Singh (Delhi) all made their first-class debuts.
* 20–23 November 2018 Scorecard
* Kerala won by 9 wickets Eden Gardens, Kolkata Umpires: Nitin Pandit and Chirra Ravikanthreddy Player of the match: Jalaj Saxena (Kerala)
* Kerala won the toss and elected to field.
* 20–23 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore Umpires: Saiyed Khalid and Steve O'Shaughnessy Player of the match: Kuldeep Sen (Madhya Pradesh)
* Punjab won the toss and elected to bat.
* Kuldeep Sen (Madhya Pradesh) took his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
* 20–23 November 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn CSR Sharma College Ground, Ongole Umpires: Sivasubramaniyan Shankar and Belur Ravi
* Tamil Nadu won the toss and elected to field.
* No play was possible on day 3 due to rain.
* Girinath Reddy (Andhra) made his first-class debut.

### Round 4

* 28 November–1 December 2018 Scorecard
* Madhya Pradesh won by 5 wickets St Xavier's College Ground, Thumba Umpires: Abhijit Bengeri and Abhijit Deshmukh Player of the match: Vishnu Vinod (Madhya Pradesh)
* Kerala won the toss and elected to bat.
* Kumar Kartikeya (Madhya Pradesh) made his first-class debut.
* 28 November–1 December 2018 Scorecard
* Hyderabad won by 10 wickets Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad Umpires: Yeshwant Barde and Sadashiv Iyer Player of the match: Ravi Kiran (Hyderabad)
* Himachal Pradesh won the toss and elected to bat.
* Arpit Guleria (Himachal Pradesh) made his first-class debut.
* 28 November–1 December 2018 Scorecard
* Punjab won by 10 wickets Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi Umpires: Rohan Pandit and Shawn Craig Player of the match: Mandeep Singh (Punjab)
* Delhi won the toss and elected to bat.
* Kunwar Bidhuri (Delhi) made his first-class debut.
* This was Delhi's first loss at home in the Ranji Trophy in five years.
* 28 November–1 December 2018 Scorecard
* Bengal won by 1 wicket M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Umpires: Virender Sharma and Brad White Player of the match: Abhishek Raman (Bengal)
* Tamil Nadu won the toss and elected to bat.
* Brad White of South Africa was part of an umpire exchange programme.

### Round 5

* 6–9 December 2018 Scorecard
* Himachal Pradesh won by an innings and 107 runs Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali Umpires: Sanjay Hazare and Sudhir Asnani
* Punjab won the toss and elected to field.
* Abhijeet Garg (Punjab) and Praveen Thakur (Himachal Pradesh) both made their first-class debuts.
* 6–9 December 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi Umpires: Ulhas Gandhe and Steve O'Shaughnessy Player of the match: Ricky Bhui (Andhra)
* Delhi won the toss and elected to field.
* Jonty Sidhu and Shivank Vashisht (Delhi) both made their first-class debuts.
* 6–9 December 2018 Scorecard
* Tamil Nadu won by 151 runs M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Umpires: Anil Dandekar and Nitin Menon Player of the match: T. Natarajan (Tamil Nadu)
* Tamil Nadu won the toss and elected to bat.
* Shahrukh Khan (Tamil Nadu) made his first-class debut.
* 6–9 December 2018 Scorecard
* Madhya Pradesh won by an innings and 253 runs Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore Umpires: Amiesh Saheba and Virender Sharma Player of the match: Ajay Rohera (Madhya Pradesh)
* Madhya Pradesh won the toss and elected to field.
* Venkatesh Iyer and Ajay Rohera (Madhya Pradesh) both made their first-class debuts.
* Ajay Rohera (Madhya Pradesh) set a new record for the highest score on debut in a first-class match with 267 not out.

### Round 6

* 14–17 December 2018 Scorecard
* Kerala won by an innings and 27 runs St Xavier's College Ground, Thumba Umpires: Abhijit Bhattacharya and Vinod Seshan Player of the match: Jalaj Saxena (Kerala)
* Kerala won the toss and elected to bat.
* Vathsal Govind (Kerala) made his first-class debut.
* 14–17 December 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad Umpires: Sai Darshan Kumar and Puttarangaiah Jayapal Player of the match: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal)
* Hyderabad won the toss and elected to field.
* KSK Chaitnay (Hyderabad) and Shahbaz Ahmed (Bengal) both made their first-class debuts.
* 14–17 December 2018 Scorecard
* Himachal Pradesh won by an innings and 3 runs Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, Nadaun Umpires: K. N. Ananthapadmanabhan and Rajesh Timaney Player of the match: Pankaj Jaswal (Himachal Pradesh)
* Himachal Pradesh won the toss and elected to field.
* Chengalpet Gnaneshwar (Andhra) made his first-class debut.
* 14–17 December 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali Umpires: Yeshwant Barde and Virender Sharma Player of the match: Shubman Gill (Punjab)
* Punjab won the toss and elected to field.
* Shubman Gill (Punjab) scored his maiden double century in first-class cricket.

### Round 7

* 22–25 December 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam Umpires: Nitin Pandit and Krishnamachari Srinivasan Player of the match: K. V. Sasikanth (Andhra)
* Andhra won the toss and elected to field.
* 22–25 December 2018 Scorecard
* Match drawn Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad Umpires: K. N. Ananthapadmanabhan and Sudhir Asnani Player of the match: Ravi Teja (Hyderabad)
* Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat.
* 22–25 December 2018 Scorecard
* Himachal Pradesh won by 9 wickets Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala Umpires: Anil Dandekar and Nitin Menon Player of the match: Rishi Dhawan (Himachal Pradesh)
* Tamil Nadu won the toss and elected to bat.
* 22–25 December 2018 Scorecard
* Delhi won by 9 wickets Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi Umpires: Sanjay Hazare and Virender Sharma Player of the match: Anuj Rawat (Delhi)
* Delhi won the toss and elected to field.
* The start of play was delayed by two-and-half-hours after the ground's curator had overwatered the pitch.

### Round 8

* 30 December 2018 – 2 January 2019 Scorecard
* Madhya Pradesh won by 140 runs Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore Umpires: Vineet Kulkarni and Yeshwant Barde Player of the match: Kumar Kartikeya (Madhya Pradesh)
* Himachal Pradesh won the toss and elected to field.
* 30 December 2018 – 2 January 2019 Scorecard
* Match drawn Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex, Vizianagaram Umpires: Nitin Pandit and Krishnamachari Srinivasan Player of the match: Srikar Bharat (Andhra)
* Andhra won the toss and elected to field.
* Tilak Varma and Ajay Dev Goud (Hyderabad) both made their first-class debuts.
* 30 December 2018 – 2 January 2019 Scorecard
* Bengal won by 7 wickets Eden Gardens, Kolkata Umpires: Anil Dandekar and Saiyed Khalid Player of the match: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal)
* Delhi won the toss and elected to bat.
* 30 December 2018 – 2 January 2019 Scorecard
* Punjab won by 10 wickets Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali Umpires: Jayaraman Madanagopal and Rohan Pandit Player of the match: Siddarth Kaul (Punjab)
* Punjab won the toss and elected to field.

### Round 9

* 7–10 January 2019 Scorecard
* Match drawn M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Umpires: Saiyed Khalid and Pashchim Pathak Player of the match: Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore (Tamil Nadu)
* Tamil Nadu won the toss and elected to bat.
* Pradosh Ranjan Paul and Mohan Prasath (Tamil Nadu) both made their first-class debuts.
* 7–10 January 2019 Scorecard
* Match drawn Eden Gardens, Kolkata Umpires: Ulhas Gandhe and Vineet Kulkarni Player of the match: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal)
* Bengal won the toss and elected to bat.
* Shubman Gill (Punjab) scored his 1,000th run in first-class cricket.
* 7–10 January 2019 Scorecard
* Kerala won by 5 wickets Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, Nadaun Umpires: Sadashiv Iyer and C. K. Nandan Player of the match: Vinoop Manoharan (Kerala)
* Kerala won the toss and elected to field.
* Ponnan Rahul (Kerala) scored his maiden century in first-class cricket.
* 7–10 January 2019 Scorecard
* Andhra won by 307 runs Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore Umpires: Nitin Pandit and Virender Sharma Player of the match: Karan Shinde (Andhra)
* Madhya Pradesh won the toss and elected to field.
* Karan Shinde (Andhra) made his first-class debut.
* Girinath Reddy (Madhya Pradesh) took his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
* In Madhya Pradesh's second innings, they lost their last seven wickets for no runs, going from 35 for 3 to 35 all out, including Gaurav Yadav who was absent hurt.