There's a certain logic to
Madhya Pradesh reaching this quarter-final stage. Their Ranji campaign has carried the kind of rhythm that knockout cricket tends to reward—a blend of pragmatism and occasional boldness. In their most recent outing, they pushed past 445 in the first innings, the sort of total that signals intent without extravagance. Before that, they conceded 552, a reminder that their bowling still flickers between control and surrender. But reaching the knockouts isn't about perfection. It's about arriving with momentum intact, and
Madhya Pradesh have that.
Jammu and Kashmir, by contrast, arrive with something closer to survival instinct. Their last Ranji fixture saw them bundled out for 194 while the opposition piled on 771—an innings that didn't just defeat them, it humiliated them. The match before wasn't much kinder either. These are the kind of margins that linger. Still, there's resilience in making it this far after a string of narrow defeats in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where they lost by a single run on one occasion and conceded 341 in another chase. They know how to hang on, even when the odds tilt heavily away.
What stands out to me is how differently these two sides have experienced recent cricket.
Madhya Pradesh have found ways to post competitive totals and grind out results.
Jammu and Kashmir have spent much of the summer defending, chasing shadows, and hoping their bowlers could salvage something. In first-class cricket, that gap tends to widen over four days rather than close.
The quarters are often decided not by flair, but by which side holds its nerve longer.
Madhya Pradesh, playing at home and carrying the better form, should have enough in reserve. That said, knockout cricket has a habit of exposing brittle confidence just as much as poor technique. If
Jammu and Kashmir's bowlers can keep things tight early, they might unsettle the hosts. But it's hard to ignore the weight of recent evidence pointing one way.
