Ahan & Suniel Shetty applaud from stands as KL Rahul reaches century in Ranji Trophy 2025-26 semifinal [Watch]

Star Karnataka cricketer KL Rahul received cheers from his father-in-law Suniel Shetty and brother-in-law Ahan as he reached a century on Day 1 (Sunday, February 15) of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy semifinal against Uttarakhand. The match is being played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Opening the batting, Rahul looked in fine form, bringing up his fifty with a four in the 28th over. The 33-year-old went on to score his second consecutive hundred in as many games, completing his ton off 153 balls in the 52nd over with a single off Avneesh Sudha’s delivery towards long-leg. Suniel and Ahan applauded the innings with a standing ovation.

Check out the clip of the moment below:

This marked KL Rahul’s 25th first-class century. Coming into the game, the Karnataka batter had played 118 first-class matches, scoring 8,757 runs in 206 innings at an average of 44.45, including 24 centuries and 41 fifties, with a highest score of 337.

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Centuries from KL Rahul and skipper Devdutt Padikkal put Karnataka on top

Uttarakhand skipper Kunal Chandela won the toss and chose to bowl first. Aditya Rawat provided an early breakthrough for his side, dismissing Mayank Agarwal for just five runs off 32 balls in the ninth over.

Skipper Devdutt Padikkal came in at No. 3 and, along with KL Rahul, anchored the innings as Karnataka reached 133/1 at lunch after 32 overs. The duo continued their dominance in the second session, with Rahul bringing up his century off 153 balls, while Padikkal reached three figures with a six off 144 balls. The team went into tea in a commanding position at 263/1 after 62 overs.

At the time of writing, Karnataka were 275/1 after 65 overs, with Rahul unbeaten on 127 and Padikkal on 120.

In the other semifinal, Bengal are taking on Jammu & Kashmir. At the time of writing, after being put into bat, Bengal were 199/4 after 62 overs, with Sudip Gharami (104) and Shahbaz Ahmed (26) in the middle.