Ruturaj Gaikwad smashed a scintillating hundred to power Maharashtra to a 40-run win over Kerala in an Elite group C match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Tuesday.
Opting to bat, skipper Gaikwad went on a six-hitting spree, clubbing seven maximums and eight fours in his 68-ball 114, to single-handedly take Maharashtra to 167 for four.
In reply, Kerala could manage 127 for eight in their stipulated 20 overs, with Rohan Kunnummal top-scoring with a 44-ball 58 at the top.
For Maharashtra, Satyajeet Bachhav (3/11) and Azim Kazi (2/25) took three and two wickets respectively, while Rajvardhan Hangargekar (1/16) and Shamshuzama Kazi (1/8) accounted for one each.
In another match, Karnataka trounced Arunachal Pradesh by 10 wickets, riding on splendid bowling performances by Vidhwath Kaverappa (3/22) and V Koushik (3/5).
Karnataka, who had finished runners-up in the last edition, bundled out Arunachal Pradesh for 75 runs in 19.2 overs, and then returned to overhaul the target in 6.5 overs.
It was a clinical bowling display from Karnataka, as J Suchith (2/15), K Gowtham (1/12) and Vijaykumar Vyshak (1/17) were also among wickets, apart from Vidhwath and Koushik.
Chasing the total, skipper Mayank Agarwal smashed 47 not out in 21 balls, while his opening partner Devdutt Padikkal made an unbeaten 20-ball 28. Karnataka are leading the group C points table with 16 points from five matches, followed by Haryana and Services.
Bengal crush Sikkim
Lucknow: Fancied Bengal produced an all-round display to rout Sikkim by 84 runs in their Group C match on Tuesday.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Bengal were served well by Sudip Kumar Gharami's 43-ball 56, Shahbaz Ahmed's 33-ball 43 before wicketkeeper Agniv Pan blazed away to an unbeaten 34 in just 12 deliveries.
Thanks to their efforts, Bengal made a competitive 179 for six in their stipulated 20 overs. There were two wickets apiece for Palzor Tamang, Sumit Singh and Ankur Malik.
In reply, Sikkim were restricted to 95 for eight with only two of their batters reaching double figures at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium B.
Pradipta Pramanik and Karan Lal were the most successful bowlers for Bengal, returning with figures of 2/11 and 2/5, respectively.
Set a stiff target, Sikkim were never in the game and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Andhra, HP, Guj win
Indore: Kiran Shinde produced a blistering 38-ball 75 as Andhra Pradesh chased down a tricky target to register a two-wicket win over Bihar in an Elite group D match.
Chasing 182 to win, Andhra were down in the dumps at 68-5 in the ninth over, but Shinde changed the complexion of the match with a whirlwind innings.
Shinde made good use of the long handle, plundering nine fours and four sixes while adding 92 runs with Ricky Bhui (37) to lift Andhra to 160 in the 17th over.
Once both the batters were back in the hut, K V Sasikanth, who had taken two wickets, slammed a six off Anuj Raj in the last over to take the team home with two balls to spare.
Earlier, Bihar posted 181 for two in 20 overs, riding on Babul Kumar's 72 and Bipin Saurabh's 52. S Gani also smashed a quickfire 17-ball 33. Defending the total, Abhijeet Saket (3/31), Harsh Singh (2/43) and Anuj Raj (2/30) did put up a good show but, in the end, they were done in by Shinde's brilliance.
In another match, Himachal Pradesh beat Saurashtra by 13 runs to move to the second position in the points table. Saurashtra still sits at top with 14 points, while HP and Andhra are tied at 12 points.
Brief Scores: Bihar 181-2 in 20 overs (Babul Kumar 72, Bipin Saurabh 52; KV Sasikanth 2/36) lost by 2 wickets to Andhra 186-8 in 19.4 overs.