Kerala captain Sachin Baby confident ahead of challenging Haryana tie in Ranji Trophy, not thinking about IPL auction despite talks | Exclusive

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Kerala captain Sachin Baby is confident ahead of their Ranji Trophy encounter against Haryana. Kerala's final Ranji match of the first half is against Haryana, who are currently leading the Group B points table.

The Kerala side has also been in fantastic form so far. Sachin Baby and his team are currently sitting 2nd in the points table, with 15 points after four matches.

They have already registered two victories against Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, while matches against Karnataka and Bengal were rain-marred and were drawn without the completion of the first innings of both teams.

Ahead of the tricky match against Haryana in Rohtak, Sachin says that the team is aiming to continue their positive momentum. Speaking with MyKhel in an exclusive chat, the Kerala captain depicted the season so far and the immediate objective.

"From the start of the season, we are playing some good cricket. We want to continue that momentum because everybody is contributing to the team. Whatever situation we put up, everybody is responding to it really well."

Jalaj Saxena has played a key part in Kerala's amazing run so far this season. The off-break bowler has 19 wickets in four matches, and recently marked his 400th wicket in Ranji Trophy as well. And the Kerala captain not just hailed Saxena's impact

"Jalaj, you don't need anything to mention him. Because he has been doing really well for the last couple of years for us. He has been a big asset for the Kerala side. But this team is not dependent on one person or two. We are expecting everyone to perform well," he added.

As the IPL mega auction is nearing, Sachin says the players do talk about that among themselves but their focus solely remains on the upcoming Ranji match and then the other domestic assignments. Within a week of the Ranji match, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is set to start, which is the main domestic T20 tournament.

"Yeah, that's a natural thing that is coming up [IPL 2025 auction]. Everybody wants to play in the IPL. But right now, we have a task in our hands. We have matches coming up. And that [IPL auction] is not in our control. If it is meant to be, it will happen. Our duty is to perform score runs and put pressure on the franchise."

It will be a big challenge for the team from the South as they lock horns against an in-form Haryana. But Sachin is taking confidence from their encounters of the past and the collective form.

"We are playing some good cricket. And we are currently placed second. We have the confidence that we beat Haryana the last time when we played. And everybody is in a very good touch with the bat and the ball," Sachin concluded.