Rain, fading light and some nerveless batting combined to settle Monday’s Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-finals, where Karnataka eased past Mumbai and Saurashtra edged out Uttar Pradesh to book semi-final places.
Quarter-final one – Karnataka v Mumbai
Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru
Mumbai 254-8 (50 overs): Shams Mulani 86, Siddhesh Lad 38; Vidyadhar Patil 3-42, Vidwath Kaverappa 2-43
Karnataka 187-1 (33 overs): Devdutt Padikkal 81, Karun Nair 74
Karnataka won by 55 runs (VJD method)
Karnataka’s class of 2025-26 kept their title defence on track thanks to a measured, unbeaten stand worth 144 between Devdutt Padikkal and Karun Nair. Umpires called the players off for bad light with Karnataka already well clear of the VJD par score – they needed 132 after 33 overs; they were coasting on 187-1.
“It was a bit murky out there, so the talk was simply to bat deep,” Padikkal told the host broadcaster. “Karun kept reminding me, ‘tick it off over by over, we’ll be fine’.”
Mumbai, shorn of several India regulars – Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube were all unavailable – made 254-8 after Mayank Agarwal put them in. Early movement under overcast skies had Vidwath Kaverappa and Abhilash Shetty beating the bat repeatedly before Vidyadhar Patil struck twice in five balls.
Siddhesh Lad and Shams Mulani repaired the innings with a 76-run fifth-wicket stand, Mulani later unfurling a late-order flurry to finish on 86 from 76 balls. Sairaj Patil’s unbeaten 32 off 25 lifted the total past 250, but head coach Amol Muzumdar admitted it felt “20 short, especially once the clouds rolled back in”.
Karnataka’s reply began shakily when Mohit Avasthi pinned Agarwal at slip, yet Mumbai let Padikkal off twice – Onkar Tarmale spilled a top-edge at fine leg, and Hardik Tamore could not cling on to a tough chance down the leg side. Both misses proved costly. Nair, calm as ever, clipped and drove his way to 74* and left the bowlers relying on the weather rather than wickets.
Quarter-final two – Saurashtra v Uttar Pradesh
Karnataka State Cricket Association ‘B’ Ground
Uttar Pradesh 212-9 (45 overs, rain): Sameer Rizvi 62, Aryan Juyal 44; Parth Bhut 3-38
Saurashtra 177-4 (30.2 overs): Harvik Desai 78, Samarth Vyas 46
Saurashtra won by 18 runs (VJD method)
Over on the adjoining ground, intermittent drizzle shortened play and forced DLS (or VJD in domestic one-day terms) into action again. Uttar Pradesh, anchored by Sameer Rizvi’s combative 62, posted a rain-adjusted 212-9 from 45 overs. Left-arm spinner Parth Bhut kept a lid on the slog overs, varying pace and angle to pick up 3-38.
Harvik Desai then made light of a tacky surface, using trademark late cuts and skims behind point. “The ball was stopping a touch, so anything full I tried to go straight,” he explained at stumps. Samarth Vyas’s breezy 46 meant Saurashtra were always ahead of the curve; when a final shower arrived, they sat comfortably 18 ahead on the sheets.
Captain Jaydev Unadkat praised Desai’s composure: “Harvik has transformed his one-day game. He knows when to kick on and when to just keep the board moving.”
What it means
The results leave Karnataka facing Railways in the first semi-final, while Saurashtra meet Delhi. Karnataka remain favourites on paper – Padikkal has now crossed 700 tournament runs – yet both ties promise intrigue should the December weather intervene again.
Stat corner
• Padikkal’s unbeaten 81 pushed his season tally to 712 at an average north of 100.
• Mulani’s 86 is the highest score by a Mumbai No. 6 in this season’s competition.
• Desai’s strike rate of 93.97 is his best in a Vijay Hazare knock of fifty or more.
Looking ahead
Weather charts show further scattered showers in Bengaluru later this week. Coaches, captains and ground staff may therefore spend as much time studying radar as rival attacks. For the players, though, the equation is simpler: one more win and it’s a ticket to the final.
