A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches on Monday.
Mulani powers Mumbai to big win
The spin duo of Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian exploited the conditions beautifully to trigger a stunning batting collapse as Mumbai registered a handsome 232-run win after skittling out Kerala for 94 in their Ranji Trophy Group B match in Thumba, Kerala, on Tuesday.
On a turning fourth day wicket, the home side crumbled under relentless pressure with left-arm spinner Mulani returning with 5/44 from his 16 overs. Off-spinner Kotian provided the perfect support, claiming 5-1-6-2.
Mulani is now the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai this season with 17 dismissals to his name.
Veteran seamer Dhawal Kulkarni (2/32) triggered the collapse in the first over of the day when he dismissed Jalaj Saxena (16).
He followed it up with Krishna Prasad (4) in his third over before the spin duo took over.
Kerala, who were 24 for no loss overnight, chasing a stiff 327 lost all their wickets in 27 overs with the match getting over half-an-hour before lunch on the final day.
This was Mumbai's third successive victory as they consolidated their position atop Group B standings with 20 points.
Captain Sanju Samson was the only Kerala batter to offer some resistance with unbeaten 15 runs off 53 balls.
Mohit Avasthi was adjudged player-of-the-match for his seven-wicket haul and valuable contributions with the bat (16 and 32).
Andhra win big vs Assam
In Dibrugarh, Andhra posted their maiden win of the season defeating hosts Assam by 172 runs to ear six points.
Chasing an imposing 363, Assam managed to add 109 runs to their overnight total before being bowled out for 190 in 48.2 overs.
Skipper Riyan Parag ended up with 75 and after his dismissal wicketkeeper-batter Sumit Ghadigaonkar put up a resistance with a quality knock of 60.
But he lacked support at the other end as Andhra bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals.
Lalith Mohan (4/81) was the pick of Andhra bowlers, while Girinath Reddy and Manish Golamaru returned with three apiece.
Ricky Bhui was awarded player-of-the-match for his second innings score of 125.
Chhattisgarh deny Bengal 3 points
Bengal were left ruing their luck as visitors Chhattisgarh showed resilience, led by Ashutosh Singh's gritty 88 from 240 balls, that denied the home side a first innings lead.
Despite the pressure, the No. 4 batter displayed commendable shot selection and stayed firm at the crease as Chhattisgarh saw through the final day, finishing at 214/6.
As the innings was incomplete on the fourth day, both the teams returned with one point each.
In hindsight, Bengal could have made an early declaration instead of choosing to bat two full days keeping in mind the overcast conditions.
Only nine overs were possible on the penultimate day. Bengal had made an overnight declaration at 381/8 after day two.
Brief Scores
In Thumba: Mumbai 251 and 319 vs Kerala 244 and 94 (R Kunnummal 26; S Mulani 5/44). Mumbai won by 232 runs.
In Dibrugarh: Andhra 188 and 334 vs Assam 160 and 190(R Parag 75, S Ghadigaonkar 60; Lalith Mohan 4/81, Girinath Reddy 3/57, Manish Golamaru 3/19). Andhra won by 172 runs.
In Kolkata: Bengal 381/8 decl vs Chhattisgarh 214/6 (Ashutosh Singh 88; Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 4/29). Match drawn.
In Meerut: Bihar 260 vs Uttar Pradesh 45/3. Match drawn.
Prabhudessai's ton takes Goa to draw against Karnataka
Goa opener Suyash Prabhudessai compiled an unbeaten 143 as their Group C Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka ended in a draw in Mysore on Monday.
Karnataka earned three points for taking the first-innings lead, while Goa bagged one.
Starting the day on 93/1, Goa lost Krishnamurthy Siddharth (57) early and were spot in a bother on 123/3 before Prabhudessai and Deepraj Gaonkar (36) joined forces to put up a 99-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Although Rohit Kumar broke the partnership with the wicket of Gaonkar, Prabhudessai kept going with some help from the incoming batters.
After he brought up his fourth first-class century, the visitors finished on 282/6.
For the hosts, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Rohit took a wicket each in the second innings.
In Mohali, the meeting between Punjab and Tripura too ended in a draw. The match was mostly marred by bad light, with play on Day 1 and Day 3 being abandoned.
The final day also saw a delayed start, as Punjab resumed on 78 for seven. However, the side got bundled out for 109, thanks to Manisankar Murasingh and Rana Dutta's three wickets each, while Nehal Wadhera (56) was the top scorer.
As for Tripura, they managed to finish the day on 51 for two. While opener Bikramkumar Das (23) top-scored, Baltej Singh and Siddarth Kaul took a wicket each.
The game between Chandigarh and Gujarat was called off due to bad light, leading to a draw.
Brief scores:
In Mysore: Goa 321 & 282/6 (S Prabhudessai 143, K Siddharth 57) drew against Karnataka 498/9 (M Agarwal 114, D Padikkal 103, N Jose 107; D Misal 6/134).
In Mohali: Punjab 109 (Nehal Wadhera 56; Manisankar Murasingh 3/22) drew against Tripura 51/2 (Bikramkumar Das 23; Siddarth Kaul 1/14).
In Chandigarh: Gujarat 86/2 (Sunpreetsingh Bagga 39 not out; Jagjit Singh 2/27) drew against Chandigarh.
Samad steers J&K to first win of season
Abdul Samad helped Jammu & Kashmir overcome a tricky chase with an unbeaten 66, steering his team to a two-wicket win over Odisha in Ranji Trophy in Cuttack on Monday.
It was the first win of the season for J&K after sharing points with Delhi and Himachal in their two home games marred by bad light in Elite Group D.
Resuming at 72/4, J&K needed another 77 runs for the win and they somehow managed to cross the line courtesy of the young Samad.
IPL regular Samad stood like a rock as wickets kept falling at the other end. His knock comprised seven fours and two sixes.
Samad remained unbeaten alongside India pacer Umran Malik when the winning runs were scored.
J&K had taken the first innings lead by making 180 in response to Odisha's 130 on the opening day.
Brief scores: Odisha 130 and 198 vs Jammu & Kashmir 180 and 149/8 in 23.2 overs (Abdul Samad 66 not out; Rajesh Mohanty 5/61).
