Kerala picked up an innings-and-eight-run win against Haryana to join defending champions Gujarat as the two quarterfinalists from Group B. Kerala needed five wickets on the fourth day, having reduced to Haryana to 83 for 5 by the third evening. Haryana's tail did not crumble, as Amit Mishra and Poonish Mehta resisted with knocks of 40 and 32 not out respectively, but seamer MD Nidheesh nipped out three wickets to earn Kerala a bonus-point win. Kerala finished second on the Group B table, while Haryana's season ended with their fourth loss in six matches. This was the first time Kerala entered the quarter-finals since the introduction of the tier system in the Ranji Trophy format.
Gujarat needed only ten balls to wipe out a fourth-innings target of 15, after Jharkhand imploded on the fourth morning in Ranchi. The ten-wicket bouns-point win ensured a top-of-the-table finish for Gujarat. Having been asked to follow-on on the third day, Jharkhand were always facing an uphill battle. They did not begin the fourth morning too well, losing two wickets in the first three overs. Virat Singh and Ishan Kishan resisted with a 48-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but Jharkhand crumbled once Virat was dismissed for 52, losing six wickets for 26 runs to be bowled out for 183. Left-arm spinner Hardik Patel had remarkable returns of 4 for 9 in six overs, all four of his wickets coming in Jharkhand's collapse at the end. Gujarat's openers collected all their runs in fours to breeze to the target.
Saurashtra eventually finished a close third in the group, after they drew out their final game against Rajasthan in Jaipur. Three Rajasthan batsmen struck centuries after being asked to follow on, eventually overhauling the 259-run first innings deficit, before finishing the day on 394 for 7. Amitkumar Gautam (100), Chetan Bist (109) and Rajesh Bishnoi (103*) hit hundreds on the final day. Dhamrendrasinh Jadeja of Saurashtra finished with figures of 5 for 167.
Even a win wouldn't have taken Saurashtra through, since both Kerala and Gujarat won their games, but they were going after the bonus-point win when they asked Rajasthan to bat again yesterday. But the two Rajasthan openers Gautam and Bist put on a 205-run opening stand after which Bishnoi's unbeaten 103 meant the game was destined for a draw. Saurashtra collected first-innings lead points, but eventually finished five points adrift of second place.
