Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh split points in Ranji Trophy Group C clash

Bengaluru: Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh shared one point each in their Ranji Trophy Group C clash in Indore on Monday.

MP declared overnight at 425/8, and a scratchy Karnataka replied with 206/5 in 75 overs before bad light called an end to the fourth and final day's proceedings at the Holkar Stadium.

Nikin Jose, promoted to the top of the order, struck form with a measured 99 studded with eight fours and four sixes, but missed out on a hundred as Kumar Kartikeya trapped him LBW.

Jose was quick to pounce on any width and used the back-foot punch to good avail. Post lunch, Jose used his feet well to but the spin duo of Kartikeya and Saransh off their lengths.

None of the other batters, barring Shreyas Gopal (60 not out), were able to match Jose's tenacity. Skipper Mayank Agarwal departed for a three-ball duck, caught expertly at silly point by Yash Dubey, while Manish Pandey was dismissed cheaply, snaffled by Rajat Patidar at gully.

Devdutt Padikkal and Smaran R could not build on their starts. Both batters were dismissed by Saransh Jain, who bowled in tandem with Kartikeya.

Just as MP sensed a chance to bowl Karnataka out and take the first innings lead, Gopal dropped anchor and kept Jose company in a 127-run partnership. 

Baroda stun Mumbai

Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt grabbed six wickets in a stunning bowling show as Baroda defeated defending champions Mumbai by 84 runs on the final day of their Group A Ranji Trophy match on Monday.

In a match that saw fortunes fluctuating in each of the four days, the 34-year-old Bhatt (6/55 from 19.4 overs) ripped through the Mumbai line up in the second innings to help his side notch a memorable win.

Chasing 262 for a win, Mumbai were shot out for 177 in 48.2 overs. The 42-time champions Mumbai had resumed the day at 42 for 2, needing 220 runs to win the match on the final day.

Brief scores: Group C: Madhya Pradesh: 425/8 decl drew with Karnataka: 206/5 in 75 overs (Nikin Jose 99, Shreyas Gopal 60 n.o.; Kumar Kartikeya 3-68, Saransh Jain 2-103). PoM: Shubham Sharma. Points: MP: 1; Kar: 1.

Bengal: 311 and (O/n: 141/0): 254/3 decl in 60.5 overs (Sudip Chatterjee 93, Abhimanyu Easwaran 127 n.o.; Vipraj Nigam 2-76) drew with UP: 292 and 162/6 in 51 overs (Priyam Garg 105 n.o.; Mukesh Kumar 2-58, Mohammed Kaif 2-4). PoM: Sudip Chatterjee. Points: Bengal: 3; UP: 1.

Punjab: 194 and (O/n: 23/2): 142 all out in 55.1 overs (Anmolpreet Singh 37, Prabhsimran Singh 51; Aditya Sarwate 4-43, Jalaj Saxena 2-40, Baba Aparajith 4-35) lt to Kerala: 179 and 158/2 in 36 overs (Sachin Baby 56, Rohan Kunnummal 48, Baba Aparajith 39 n.o.). PoM: Aditya Sarwate. Points: Kerala: 6; Punjab: 0.