Madhya Pradesh beat powerhouse Karnataka
Goa were thrashed Maharashtra
Check all the results from Elite Group B
Spinners Saransh Jain and Sagar Solanki shared six wickets between them equally as Madhya Pradesh handed Karnataka a heavy 217-run defeat on the fourth and final day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match here on Sunday.
Resuming from overnight 204 for six, MP declared their second innings at 229 for eight, setting the hosts a target of 362 runs.
But off-spinner Jain (3/37) and left-arm spinner Solanki (3/20) ran through the Karnataka batting line-up to fold them for 144 in their second innings.
Opener KV Aneesh, who made a 92 in the first innings, made a 57 (142 balls) to offer a token fight for Karnataka.
The absence of injured Karun Nair too hastened the eight-time champions' downfall as the veteran batter suffered a cut on the webbing between his left index and middle fingers.
Nair did not come out to bat as Nikin Jose was employed in the form of a concussion substitute. Jose fought hard with a 101-ball 26 but eventually Jain trapped him in front of the wicket.
Jose and Shreyas Gopal added 61 runs in 27 overs but once the third wicket pair was separated in the space of one over — 76 for three in 35.4 overs and 77 for four in 36.2 overs — Karnataka collapsed.
The win helped MP move up to second place with 22 points, while Karnataka (21 points) slipped from the top to third spot.
Maharashtra, who beat Goa by eight wickets, climbed to top of the table with 24 points.
The result requires Karnataka to beat Punjab in their last league game at Mullanpur, starting from January 29, to progress to the knockout stage as Saurashtra (19 points) are also in contention in Group B.
Brief Scores
At Alur: Madhya Pradesh: 323 and 229/8 declared in 75.1 overs beat Karnataka: 191 and 144 all out in 67.5 overs (KV Aneesh 57; Saransh Jain 3/37, Sagar Solanki 3/20) by 217 runs.
At Pune: Goa: 209 all out and 248 all out lost to Maharashtra: 350 and 109/2 in 21.1 overs 9 (Arshin Kulkarni 52 not out) by 8 wickets. PTI UNG APS APS
