KL Rahul's Heroics and Auqib Nabi's Milestone Lead Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir into Ranji Semis

KL Rahul's century powered Karnataka to defeat Mumbai, advancing them to the Ranji Trophy semi-final. Auqib Nabi's 12-wicket haul secured Jammu & Kashmir's historic entry into their first-ever semi-final. Karnataka will face Uttarakhand while Jammu & Kashmir awaits the winner between Andhra and Bengal.

Karnataka entered the Ranji Trophy semi-finals after successfully chasing a challenging 325-run target against 42-time champions Mumbai. India's prolific batter KL Rahul's stellar performance, scoring 130 off 182 balls, anchored the pursuit at the Sharad Pawar Academy in Mumbai on Monday.

Rahul's innings, featuring 14 boundaries and a notable six, marked his 24th first-class century and was supported by Smaran Ravichandran's unbeaten 83. Vidyadhar Patil finished off with the decisive run, paving Karnataka's path to face the debutants Uttarakhand in the upcoming semi-final from February 15.

A historic day for Jammu & Kashmir saw Auqib Nabi steering the team to their first semi-final appearance in 67 years of Ranji history. His remarkable 12-wicket match figures led J&K to trounce Madhya Pradesh by 56 runs in Indore. Chasing 291, MP collapsed for 234. J&K now awaits the victor between Andhra and Bengal.

(With inputs from agencies.)