Defending champions Karnataka stormed into their fourth successive Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinals with a thumping 54-run victory over Mumbai via the VJD method in Bengaluru on Monday.
With the tournament's leading run-getter Devdutt Padikkal (81 not out; 95 balls, 11x4) and veteran India batter Karun Nair (74 not out; 80 balls, 11x4) unbeaten, Karnataka were cruising at 187 for 1 in 33 overs while chasing a modest 255 when rain stopped play.
The VJD par score at that stage was 132, and with Karnataka 55 runs ahead they were declared winners.
Earlier, heavyweights Mumbai, already without pacer Tushar Deshpande due to personal reasons, suffered a major blow when top batter Sarfaraz Khan (303 runs at 75.75) was ruled out after being struck on the finger during net practice.
In his absence, Mumbai managed only 254 for 8 after Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal opted to bowl at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1.
In a largely one-man show, Shams Mulani struck an impressive 86 to hold the Mumbai innings together after a top-order collapse.
Mumbai were tottering at 60/4 in 17.2 overs before Mulani and skipper Siddhesh Lad (38 off 58 balls; 4x4) added 76 runs for the sixth wicket.
After Lad's dismissal, Shedge and Kotian fell in quick succession, but Mulani held firm, scoring 86 from 91 balls with eight boundaries.
Mulani took 68 balls to reach his fifty, but stepped up in the death after getting support from Sairaj Patil (33 not out off 25 balls; 5x4, 1x6), as Mumbai smashed 59 runs in the last five overs.
Patil's late assault gave the Mumbai bowlers something to defend.
Mulani was trapped lbw by Abhilash Shetty in the final over, ending his determined knock.
For Karnataka, Vidyadhar Patil returned 3/42, while Abhilash Shetty and Vidwath Kaverappa picked up two wickets each.
In reply, Agarwal and Padikkal began cautiously before Karnataka lost their skipper inside the powerplay.
Agarwal, Karnataka's second-highest run-getter this season with two centuries and two fifties, edged Mohit Avasthi to slip for 12 off 24 balls.
Mumbai's cause was further hurt by sloppy fielding, as the in-form Padikkal was given two reprieves.
Avasthi induced a thick outside edge from Padikkal that flew to Raghuvanshi at first slip, but the chance was wasted.
Earlier, on 24, Onkar Tarmale spilled a straightforward chance running in from deep fine leg.
Padikkal made Mumbai pay for those mistakes on the field.
The tall left-hander, who now has 715 runs from eight innings with four hundreds and two fifties at an average of 102.14 this season, went on the offensive, pulling Sairaj Patil over midwicket and then flicking him through the same region.
From thereon, there was no stopping Karnataka as Padikkal and Nair added 143 runs off 150 balls for the second wicket.
Nair, who had endured a lean run with scores of 0, 14 and 10 in his previous three innings, returned to form with a fluent 44-ball fifty -- his third of the tournament and 16th in List A cricket.
He looked in complete control, whether in defence or attack, and dissected the field with ease.
Mumbai tried as many as seven bowlers, but apart from Avasthi's early strike, none could make any impact.
Karnataka had earlier topped Elite Group 'A' with six wins from seven matches.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai 254/8 (in 50 overs): Shams Mulani 86; Vidyadhar Patil 3/42, Vidwath Kaverappa 2/43, Abhilash Shetty 2/59 lost to Karnataka 187/1 (in 33 overs): Devdutt Padikkal 81 not out, Karun Nair 74 not out) by 54 runs via VJD method.
Ton-up Desai helps Saurashtra make semis
Skipper Harvik Desai led from the front with an unbeaten century as Saurashtra humbled fancied Uttar Pradesh by 17 runs via the VJD Method in a rain-interrupted game to enter the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru on Monday.
Despite missing in-form wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who had linked up with the Indian team after an injury to Rishabh Pant, Uttar Pradesh did well to put up a challenging total of 310 for eight after being invited to bat first.
In reply, Saurashtra were 238 for three in 40.1 overs when rain stopped play, and they emerged winners after the V. Jayadevan (VJD) method was applied.
Saurashtra needed 77 runs in the last 10 overs, a very gettable proposition with their captain going strong. Desai was batting on exactly 100 off 116 balls when the match was halted, the skipper having figured in a vital second-wicket stand of 133 runs with Prerak Mankad (67 off 66 balls).
Desai then found another able ally in Chirag Jani (40 not out off 31 balls), with whom he added 76 runs for the fourth wicket to help his side finish on the right side of the result.
During his knock, Desai struck eight fours and two sixes as Saurashtra edged out UP, who topped Group B after winning all their matches in the league stage. Saurashtra finished second in Group D after winning five of their seven matches.
The absence of Jurel, who had amassed 558 runs in seven innings over the course of the league stage, was a big blow to UP, but the side was well served by opener Abhishek Goswami and Sameer Rizvi, both coming up with a fluent knock of 88 off 82 and 77 balls respectively, at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2.
Goswami struck 12 fours during his innings while Sameer Rizvi smashed 10 boundaries and two sixes during his entertaining stay in the middle.
Rizvi, who was associated in a partnership of 50 runs with Prashant Veer (30 off 31 balls) and 45 with Goswami, after skipper Rinku Singh (13 off 20 balls) failed to live up to the expectations.
Priyam Garg chipped in with 35 off 39 balls in the middle order while adding 57 runs for the third wicket with Goswami after UP lost two wickets with 42 runs on the board in the ninth over.
Down the order, leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari contributed a handy 20 off 11 balls before Rizvi took their side past the 300-run mark.
The start was far from ideal for UP who lost Aryan Juyal (0) with only 10 runs on the board. One-down bat Rituraj Sharma too couldn't play a significant innings as Saurashtra made early inroads.
However, the duo of Goswami and Rizvi led the recovery.
Left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya was the most successful bowler for UP, returning figures of 3/54, while there were two wickets apiece for Ankur Panwar and Prerak Mankad. Ankur, though, leaked 75 runs in his full quota of 10 overs.
Brief Scores:
Uttar Pradesh: 310/8 (in 50 overs): Abhishek Goswami 88, Sameer Rizvi 88; Chetan Sakariya 3/54 vs Saurashtra: 238/3 in 40.1 overs (Harvik Desai 100 not out, Prerak Mankad 67, Chirag Jani 40 not out).
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