Ranji Trophy: Delhi settles for draw vs Punjab, bags 3 points

New Delhi, Jan 6: Delhi settled for a draw against Punjab in a round 4 tie of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali as no play was possible on the fourth and final day of the contest on Monday due to rain. Despite the draw, Delhi managed to clinch three points based on their first innings lead while their opponents were handed one.

In Kolkata, Bengal wrapped up Gujarat for a paltry 194 before the hosts ended with 239/5 when stumps were drawn on the final day. As rain also played spoilsport here for most part of the contest, Bengal pocketed three while Gujarat settled for one point.

After losing their last three matches, Hyderabad however, notched up their first win of the season after defeating Kerala by six wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Chasing a 155-run target, the hosts rode a top-order contribution by Tanmay Agarwal (32), Akshath Reddy (32) and Jamalpur Mallikarjun (38) to cross the line in 46 overs.

Similarly, Andhra hunted down a 152-run target with ease as skipper Hanuma Vihari (52 not out) and Srikar Bharat (50) slammed respective half-centuries to steer their side home against Rajasthan in Jaipur. It was Rajasthan's third consecutive loss from as many games.

Meanwhile in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh had to settle for a draw as no play was possible on the final day due to rain. However, the latter clinched three points after their first innings lead.

Similarly, the contest between Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu drew no result as bad light forced an early closure of the final day's play.

Coming to the Elite Group C affairs, Tripura and Odisha had to settle for a draw as no play was possible on the first two days of the contest due to rain.

Jammu and Kashmir registered their third win to remain unbeaten so far in the season as they defeated hosts Jharkhand by an innings and 27 runs at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.

Chasing a 263-run target, Chhattisgarh resumed the final day at 33/3 before being bowled out for 173 runs in Raipur as an all-round bowling effort saw Haryana registering a comfortable 89-run victory.

Meanwhile, the contest between Nagaland and Chandigarh and Sikkim vs Arunachal Pradesh also saw no result as rain spoiled both the contests for most parts of the game.

After the end of round 4 of the season, Punjab lead the Elite Group A and B points table with 18 points, Odisha tops the Elite Group C charts with 22 points while Puducherry, who have four wins from as many games, are at the top of the Plate Group table with 27 points in their kitty.

The next round will begin from January 11.