Karnataka marches into Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinals with dominant win over Mumbai
Defending champions Karnataka secured their place in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinals for the fourth straight season on Monday. They defeated Mumbai by 55 runs using the VJD method after rain interrupted play at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru.
Rain halts Karnataka's commanding chase
Karnataka were chasing a target of 255 runs set by Mumbai. They reached 187 for 1 in just 33 overs when rain forced the players off the field. At that stage, the VJD par score stood at 132, leaving Karnataka well ahead of the required rate.
Devdutt Padikkal remained unbeaten on 81 runs from 95 deliveries. Karun Nair supported him brilliantly with an undefeated 74 off 80 balls. The pair built a strong partnership that put Karnataka in complete control before the weather intervened.
Mumbai's batting struggles and Mulani's resistance
Earlier in the day, Karnataka captain Mayank Agarwal won the toss and elected to bowl first. Mumbai faced immediate challenges even before the match began. They lost pacer Tushar Deshpande due to personal reasons. Sarfaraz Khan also missed the game after injuring his finger during net practice.
Mumbai's batting lineup stumbled early, collapsing to 60 for 4 in just 17.2 overs. Shams Mulani then stepped up to stabilize the innings with a determined knock of 86 runs from 91 balls. He struck eight boundaries during his stay at the crease.
Mulani found support from captain Siddhesh Lad, who contributed 38 runs off 58 deliveries. The pair added 76 crucial runs for the sixth wicket. After Lad's dismissal, Mumbai lost two quick wickets, but Mulani continued to anchor the innings.
He reached his half-century in 68 balls and accelerated later with help from Sairaj Patil. Patil remained not out on 33 runs from just 25 balls. Together, they helped Mumbai add 59 valuable runs in the final five overs. Mulani finally fell lbw to Abhilash Shetty in the last over of the innings.
Karnataka's bowling attack shines
Karnataka's bowlers performed consistently throughout Mumbai's innings. Vidyadhar Patil emerged as the most successful bowler, claiming three wickets for 42 runs. Abhilash Shetty and Vidwath Kaverappa supported him well, each taking two wickets.
Their disciplined bowling effort restricted Mumbai to 254 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs. This total proved insufficient against Karnataka's strong batting lineup.
Padikkal and Nair dominate the chase
Karnataka began their chase cautiously with Mayank Agarwal and Devdutt Padikkal opening the innings. They suffered an early setback when Agarwal edged Mohit Avasthi to slip, departing for 12 runs off 24 balls during the powerplay.
Mumbai then missed two opportunities to dismiss Padikkal. Onkar Tarmale dropped a catch at deep fine leg when Padikkal was on 24. The batsman survived another chance at first slip later in his innings.
Padikkal made Mumbai pay dearly for these mistakes. He increased his scoring rate and began hitting boundaries regularly through the leg side. Together with Karun Nair, he built a formidable partnership of 143 runs for the second wicket in just 150 balls.
Nair returned to form with a half-century that came off only 44 deliveries. This marked his third fifty of the tournament and his 16th in List A cricket overall.
Mumbai's bowling fails to create pressure
Mumbai used seven different bowlers in an attempt to break the partnership and create pressure. Apart from Avasthi's early breakthrough, none of their bowlers managed to take further wickets. Karnataka's batsmen handled the bowling attack with confidence and control.
Karnataka had earlier topped Elite Group A with six victories from seven matches. They continued their impressive form with this comprehensive win over Mumbai. The defending champions now advance to the semifinals as strong contenders to retain their title.
