Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Karnataka thumps Arunachal; Gaikwad helps Maharashtra overpower Kerala

Karnataka breezed past Arunachal Pradesh by 10 wickets, while Kerala slid to its second consecutive defeat as Maharashtra overpowered it by 40 runs.

Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad struck 114 off just 68 balls to score his second century of the tournament. (FILE PHOTO)

Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad struck 114 off just 68 balls to score his second century of the tournament. (FILE PHOTO) | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Karnataka breezed past Arunachal Pradesh by 10 wickets, while Kerala slid to its second consecutive defeat as Maharashtra overpowered it by 40 runs.

Karnataka scored a crushing 10-wicket win against Arunachal Pradesh to stay on course for a place in the knock-out stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament here on Tuesday.

Arunachal had no answer to an excellent show from the Karnataka bowlers and was all out for 75, with four balls remaining. Rohan Sharma was the top-scorer with 18.

Seamer Vidhwath Kaverappa came up with another fine show, taking three for 22. He had picked up five wickets in the last match, against Jammu & Kashmir.

His new-ball partner Vasuki Koushik recorded remarkable figures of three for five from 3.2 overs. Left-arm spinner J. Suchith claimed two wickets.

The modest target was achieved in just 6.5 overs by Devdutt Padikkal (28 not out, 5x4) and captain Mayank Agarwal (47 not out, 21b, 5x4, 3x6). Karnataka coach P.V. Shashikanth said that he was glad the openers finished the job with plenty of overs to spare. 

“This is a group of death and run-rate could come into play for the qualification to the knock-out stage,” he told  Sportstar. “Though Arunachal’s batting isn’t strong, the way our bowlers bowled merits mention. All of them bowled well, and I am happy to see that Vidhwath has been bowling consistently in his first T20 tournament.”

Meanwhile, Kerala slid to its second straight defeat, going down to Maharashtra by 40 runs. Chasing Maharashtra’s 167 for four, Kerala could only manage 127 for eight.

Only opener Rohan S. Kunnummal (58, 44b, 7x4, 1x6) could make a meaningful contribution. Nobody else managed to reach 20. 

When left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bachhav dismissed captain Sanju Samson for three, Kerala slumped to 86 for five. Rohan also went in the same over; and it was virtually all over for Kerala.

Earlier, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad scored his second century of the tournament. The skipper struck 114 off just 68 balls (8x4, 7x6) and added 84 for the first wicket with Pavan Shah (31, 29b, 2x6).

For more updates, follow Sportstar on :
Download Sportstar App
Download Sportstar App
 Pen, Paper and Podcast with Vijay Lokapally
Connect With Us