At the conclusion of the second day of play in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Tuesday, Kerala was on the ropes due to Urvil Patel’s brutal first-class double century (210 not out, 227b, 17×4, 6×6) and the Gujarat medium-pacers’ initial burst. With skipper Vishnu Vinod (21 batting) and Sachin Baby (14 batting) surviving a tense half-hour before stumps, Kerala was reduced to 74 for three in response to Gujarat’s first innings total of 534 for nine declared.
As the innings went on, Patel’s assault only became more powerful as he scored his century in just 91 balls. The calm aggression that characterised the whole knock was highlighted when he reached the double hundred off 214 balls. The wicketkeeper-batter for the Chennai Super Kings finished undefeated on 210, proving that he is a more complete batsman than his reputation as a boundary-hitting specialist. Patel, who is best known for his white-ball exploits, demonstrated on this occasion that his red-ball game is just as capable of helping Gujarat win games.
Against the spinners, Urvil kept stealing runs and singled out Aditya Sarvate with particular attention. After a misunderstanding with his companion, Vishal was run out for 77. By trapping Gaja in front for one, N.P. Basil momentarily boosted the spirits of Kerala. But Amit Desai, a rookie, showed no signs of nervousness and turned out to be Urvil’s perfect ally. Before he was Saravte’s second victim, Amit (36) too produced the big knocks and assisted Urvil in adding 78 runs for the eighth wicket.
Patel’s Ranji Trophy form comes after a successful IPL 2026 season with the Chennai Super Kings. He became one of the tournament’s most potent openers by amassing 197 runs at a strike rate of 205.21 across ten games, hitting 20 sixes and 11 fours.
His most memorable moment occurred on May 10, 2026, when he reached his half-century in just 13 balls against the Lucknow Super Giants, matching the joint-fastest fifty in IPL history. He then joined Yashasvi Jaiswal as the fastest fifty-maker in IPL history, scoring 65 off 23 balls in that innings with seven fours and six sixes.
During that IPL season, he also contributed 24 off 12 balls against the Mumbai Indians and 17 off 9 balls against the Delhi Capitals, demonstrating his capacity to harm any assault from the opening delivery. There is now a red-ball milestone to match that white-ball legacy, which was established through more than 500 franchise appearances and domestic outings.
