UP Look to Capitalise on spin-friendly Home Conditions Against Baroda at Green Park

Kanpur : In their fourth Ranji Trophy match, Uttar Pradesh will face Baroda at Green Park, Kanpur, from November 2 to 5. This match will be played on a spin-friendly surface. Uttar Pradesh will look to leverage home conditions to secure a victory. The Elite Group A match of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 will be played between Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Baroda at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur from November 2 to November 5, 2026. This match will begin tomorrow (2nd November) at 9:30 AM IST . This is the final match of Phase 1 of the Elite Group Stage, i.e., the 4th round, after which the tournament will go into a winter break in this season. Uttar Pradesh will look to take full advantage of home conditions and take on Baroda on a spin-friendly wicket (turning track) at Green Park stadium. Previously, UP defeated Goa by 68 runs on the same ground , relying on their spinners. The team’s star batsman Rinku Singh from UP and other players sweated it out in the net practice on Sunday and practiced hitting long shots. Rinku Singh-led batting unit and Uttar Pradesh spinners will be key as hosts target a crucial victory in the final match of Phase One in Kanpur.

Bad weather in Kanpur on Saturday prevented players from both teams from practicing on the field. On this very ground, Uttar Pradesh previously achieved a resounding win against Goa, wrapping up the match on the third day on a spin-friendly track—a contest in which Uttar Pradesh’s spinners claimed 20 wickets, while Goa’s spinners took 15. With the Green Park pitch expected to favor spin once again, the turning ball could pose a significant challenge for the batters. On Friday, under the supervision of Nagpur-based pitch curator Dilip Chaudhary and UPCA curator Bhupendra Singh, pitches number five and six were being prepared for the encounter. Given the weather conditions, the surface is being curated to assist spinners while remaining an ideal track for play. Notably, Uttar Pradesh had to settle for a draw in their third match against Puducherry, while Baroda also played out a draw against Jammu & Kashmir. Consequently, both the hosts and the visitors will be pushing hard for a win at Green Park; the preparation is aimed at delivering an ideal surface that facilitates a definitive result. Currently, in the Elite Group A of the Ranji Trophy, Vidarbha leads the standings with 19 points from three consecutive wins. Baroda sits in second place with 14 points, followed by Uttar Pradesh in third with 13 points.
Points Table Standings: Baroda currently sits second in the group with 17 points, while Uttar Pradesh sits third with 16. Uttar Pradesh ‘s previous match against Puducherry was drawn due to poor light, so the home team will be looking to win this match at all costs . In last match in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match played at Green Park in Kanpur from October 18 to 20, 2026. Rinku Singh (Uttar Pradesh cricket team): Scored a vital unbeaten 118 in the first innings and 24 in the second innings, earning Player of the Match honors.

The spotlight will once again be on the Green Park wicket track, which is expected to offer considerable assistance to spinners. Uttar Pradesh will hope to exploit familiar conditions, having registered an impressive 68-run victory over Goa at the same venue earlier in the competition. That match demonstrated the effectiveness of spin bowling, with UP’s spinners claiming all 20 Goa wickets, while Goa’s spin attack accounted for 15 dismissals.
Spin Bowling Dominance in last match against Goa: Spinners accounted for 36 of the 40 wickets that fell during the match.
• Kartik Yadav (Uttar Pradesh cricket): Took 7 wickets across both innings (including 5 in the second innings).
• Zeeshan Ansari (Uttar Pradesh cricket): Claimed 7 wickets across the match.
• Vansh Chaudhary (Uttar Pradesh cricket): Picked up 5 wickets in the match