Karnataka, out of reckoning for the Ranji Trophy Elite Division semi-finals from Group A, placed themselves in a strong position to score an outright victory over aspirants Maharashtra on the third and penultimate day of their concluding league tie on Thursday.

The visitors, replying to the hosts' modest first innings tally of 276, rattled up 545 for nine declared to take a massive 269-run lead and then reduced Maharashtra to a sorry-reading 18 for three in the second innings at stumps.

Opener Harshad Khadiwale (5) and skipper Venugopal Rao (3) were left to fight the battle and avoid an outright defeat after Maharashtra lost the wickets of debutants Ankit Bawne, Ajinkya Joshi and Ameya Shrikande cheaply in the second essay.

Medium pacer Vinay Kumar grabbed all three wickets that fell in the second innings of the hosts who need 251 more runs to avoid an innings defeat.

Earlier, Karnataka's Yere Gaud and Bharat Chipli slammed individual hundreds to help the visitors take a huge lead. 

Gaud, not out 25 overnight in a score of 239 for five,  made 122 in 236 balls with 20 fours while Chipli smashed an unbeaten 135 in only 184 balls with four sixes and 16 fours after coming in at the fall of Thilak Naidu (58 in 120 balls).

The century partnerships for the fifth and sixth wickets, Gaud being the common factor, among the trio virtually dashed any hopes of a comeback by Maharashtra who, instead of trying for an outright win to make the semis, were facing a humiliating defeat on the final day on Friday.

Scorecard:

Maharashtra (1st innings): 276 all out
Karnataka (1st innings, overnight 239-5):
R Uthappa c Takawale b Sayyed 15
K Pawan b Joshi 102
D Patil c Mohan b Fallah 7
C Raghu c Mohan b Joshi 67
A Verma lbw b Rao 1
V Naidu c and b V Rao 58
Y Goud lbw Takawale 122
B Chipli not out 135
S Joshi lbw A Joshi 1
R Vinay Kumar c Fallah b A Joshi 0
N Aiyappa not out 6
Extras: (b 14, lb 2, w 7, nb 8) 31
Total: (for 9 wickets decl. in 172 overs) 545

Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-38, 3-194, 4-208, 5-212, 6-332, 7-467, 8-470, 9-472

Bowling: Fallah 30-4-103-1, Dole 27-7-80-0, Sayyed 24-6-58-1, Khadiwale 11-1-36-0, A Joshi 44-10-133-4, D Mohan 2-0-5-0, Venugopal Rao 13-5-36-2, Bawne 9-0-43-0, Takawale 12-0-35-1

Maharashtra (2nd innings):
H Khadiwale batting 5
A Bawne b Vinay Kumar 0
A Joshi b Vinay Kumar 0
A Shrikhande lbw Vinay Kumar 0
Y Venugopal Rao batting 3
Extras: (b 5, lb 4, nb 1) 10
Total: (for 3 wkts, in 7 overs) 18

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-9, 3-13

Bowling: Vinay Kumar 4-2-3-3, Aiyappa 3-1-6-0