Can Madhya Pradesh continue its winning streak, or will Jammu and Kashmir open a new path? The answer to this will be revealed in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals at the Holkar Stadium here on Friday. MP is in a strong position entering the knockout round after two wins in the group stage. It finished first after beating Karnataka by 217 runs in Bengaluru, followed by a 133-run win over Maharashtra to finish as the Elite ‘B’ topper.

2021-22 Ranji Trophy champions MP have all the required first-class ingredients. The top order of Yash Dubey, Himanshu Mantri and Shubham Sharma could be in trouble throughout the day, while captain Rajat Patidar and Venkatesh Iyer provide firepower in the middle order. Saransh Jain is performing brilliantly with bat and ball.

In the form of Saransh and Kumar Karthikeya, Madhya Pradesh boast of a potent spin attack. And then there is charismatic coach Chandrakant Pandit, whose understanding of tactics keeps MP a step ahead.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir will be encouraged to create history. This is the state’s fourth appearance in the last-eight stage of the tournament, but making the semi-finals has remained elusive so far. Paras Dogra’s team had come very close last season, but Kerala had to lose a one-run innings lead in the drawn quarterfinals.

Fast bowler Auqib Nabi once again created panic and took 34 wickets at an average of 13. 73. He has a capable new-ball partner in left-arm fast bowler Sunil Kumar, who troubles the batsmen with late inswing.

Abdul Samad, known for his IPL exploits, has emerged as a dependable red-ball batsman. At 41, Dogra brings a wealth of experience as a leader. Dogra won the gold medal by scoring a century against Delhi in the beginning of the campaign and showed no lack of thirst for runs.

On the occasion, Jammu and Kashmir coach Ajay Sharma will face his old Indian teammate in the form of Pandit. There is going to be an exciting contest.