Karnataka's early declaration helps Saurashtra secure a draw
Goa register a massive victory over Chandigarh
Check all the round one Ranji Trophy 2025/26 results from Elite Group B
Karnataka’s reluctance for an early declaration robbed them of the time to bowl out Saurashtra in their second innings as the Ranji Trophy Elite B match ended in a draw on the fourth and final day here on Saturday.
Saurashtra were 128 for five in their second innings on an uneven pitch when the match came to a close.
Just like in the first innings, leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal was Karnataka’s star in the second dig too, bagging three wickets to complete a match-haul of 11 wickets.
Chasing an improbable 229 in one and half sessions, Saurashtra were in a spot of bother at 43 for four in the 13th over, and they had 40 overs more to negotiate.
Shreyas did all the damage upfront using the unpredictability of the track to the hilt, and the batters struggled to pick his quick off the surface googlies.
His delivery to dismiss Ansh Gosai underlined that point, as the Saurashtra right-hander looked to play a googly with static feet, but the ball zipped past him to crash on to the stumps.
But Saurashtra’s fifth wicket pair of Gajjar Sammar (43 not out, 110 balls) and Jay Gohil (41, 73 balls), the concussion substitute for Taranggohel, batted resolutely while adding 81 runs.
The stand, which lasted for 26 overs, ensured three points for Saurashtra, and Karnataka would rue their call to bat on well into the second session despite having a handy 180-plus lead.
A bold declaration at that point might have given Karnataka an extra hour to have a go at the hosts' batters, but they preferred to build a safety net around them with a few extra runs.
Earlier, in their second innings, Karnataka adopted a rather aggressive approach with skipper Mayank Agarwal leading their effort with a 64.
Wicketkeeper batter KL Shrijith gave him good backing with a 30-ball 31.
Innings win for Goa
At Porvorim, Goa defeated Chandigarh by an innings and 75 runs despite a fighting 141 from Arjun Azad, who helped his team reach 354 in the second innings after following on. Goa bagged seven points from the contest.
Brief scores: At Rajkot: Karnataka: 372 all out and 232 all out in 74.2 overs (Mayank Agarwal 64, KL Shrijith 31) vs Saurashtra: 376 all out and 128/5 in 43 overs (Gajjar Sammar 43 not out, Jay Gohil 41 not out; Shreyas Gopal 3/43).
Saurashtra: 3 points; Karnataka: 1 point.
At Thiruvananthapuram: Maharashtra: 239 all out and 224/2 declared in 71 overs (Prithvi Shaw 75, SA Veer 55 not out, Ruturaj Gaikwad 55 not out) drew with Kerala: 219 all out.
Maharashtra: 3 points, Kerala: 1 point.
At Porvorim: Goa: 566 all out beat Chandigarh: 137 all out and 354 all out in 91.4 overs (Arjun Azad 141, AK Kaushik 82; Darshan Mishal 5/124, Mohit Redkar 3/93) by an innings and 75 runs.
Goa: 7 points; Chandigarh: 0
At Indore: Punjab: 232 all out and 143/5 in 63.2 overs when rain stopped play (Uday Sharan 36, Jaskaranvir Singh Paul 28; Shubham Sharma 3/20) vs Madhya Pradesh: 519/8 declared.
Madhya Pradesh: 3 points; Punjab: 1 point.
