WATCH: Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikkal unbeaten stand powers Karnataka into fourth straight Vijay Hazare semifinals

Karun Nair and Devdutt Padikkal's unbeaten partnership guides Karnataka to their fourth consecutive Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal after registering 54-run victory over Mumbai

New Delhi: Defending champions Karnataka secured their place in a fourth consecutive Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal after registering 54-run victory over Mumbai via the VJD method here on Monday.

Devdutt Padikkal who is currently the highest run-scorer in the tournament remained unbeaten on 81, smashing eleven boundaries, while star India batter Karun Nair was also not out on 74 off 80 balls, which featured eleven boundaries,

Karnataka were comfortably placed at 187 for 1 in 33 overs while chasing 255 when rain interrupted the match. With the VJD par score at 132, Karnataka’s 55-run lead ensured they were declared the winners.

Earlier, Mumbai, already missing pacer Tushar Deshpande due to personal reasons, faced a further setback when their top batter Sarfaraz Khan (303 runs at 75.75) was ruled out after injuring his finger during net practice. Without him, Mumbai could manage to score only 254 for 8 after Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal elected to field first at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1.

Shams Mulani played an impactful knock for Mumbai

Shams Mulani played an impactful knock he scored a solid 86, holding the Mumbai innings together following a top-order collapse.

Mumbai were struggling at 60/4 in 17.2 overs before Mulani and skipper Siddhesh Lad (38 off 58 balls; 4×4) stitched 76 runs partnership for the sixth wicket.

After Lad was dismissed, Shedge and Kotian fell quickly, but Mulani remained steady, finishing with 86 runs off 91 balls, including eight boundaries. Mulani accelerated in the final overs with support from Sairaj Patil, who added 33 off 25 balls, which featured five fours and a six, as Mumbai scored 59 runs in the last five overs.

For Karnataka, Vidyadhar Patil grabbed 3 wickets conceding 42 runs, while Abhilash Shetty and Vidwath Kaverappa claimed two wickets each.

In response, Agarwal and Padikkal started cautiously, but Karnataka lost their skipper early in the powerplay. Agarwal, who is the second-highest run-scorer this season with two centuries and two fifties, fell cheaply as he was dismissed for 12 off 24 balls.

Padikkal and Nair stitched together a 143-run partnership

Padikkal, who has scored a total 715 runs across eight innings this season, which includes four centuries and two fifties at an average of 102.14, took the attack to the bowlers. From there, Karnataka were unstoppable as Padikkal and Nair stitched together a 143-run partnership off 150 balls for the second wicket.

🎥 Glimpses of a superb 1⃣0⃣0⃣-plus unbeaten partnership between Karun Nair and Devdutt Padikkal 👏

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Nair, who had struggled in his previous three innings with scores of 0, 14, and 10, found his form again, as he samshed a fluent 44-ball fifty, his third of the tournament and 16th in List A cricket.

Despite deploying seven bowlers, Mumbai failed to make any significant impact beyond Avasthi’s early breakthrough. Karnataka had already topped Elite Group ‘A’ with six wins from seven matches.