Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Karnataka cruise to fourth win; Assam stun Bengal

Cuttack, Feb 25 (CRICKETNMORE):  Karnataka thrashed minnows Mizoram by 137 runs to cruise to their fourth win on the trot and consolidate the position atop Group D, while former champions Bengal were stunned by Assam in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 tournament, here on Monday.

Opting to bat, Karnataka toyed with the Mizoram attack to post 242/4 in the stipulated 20 overs.

In reply, Mizoram were restricted to 105/6 with leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal returning best figures of 4/8 from his four overs to hand his team a simple win at the Barabati Stadium.

Karnataka have 16 points from four matches, four points clear of Assam, who jumped to second spot following their stunning 26-run win over Bengal at the Barabati Stadium.

Sibsankar Roy hit a brilliant 83 off 53 balls (12x4, 1x6) to help Assam recover from 10/2 inside three overs, following Ashok Dinda's double blow in successive overs. They posted 162/5 in 20 overs.

Dinda finished with impressive figures of 4/17 but Bengal failed to put up a good show with the bat, managing just 136/9 in 20 overs and succumb to their second defeat.

Elsewhere in Group D, Chhattisgarh registered a thrilling five-wicket win over Haryana as they chased down 211.

In Group B, Tamil Nadu defeated Gujarat by just one run in a low-scoring encounter.

Batting first, Tamil Nadu could score 125/6 with Arzan Nagwaswalla, Gujarat's left-arm pacer, picking 3/11 in four overs. Gujarat fell short, bowled out for 124 with one ball to spare.

In another Group B match, Himachal Pradesh beat Bihar by nine wickets at Surat, while Vidarbha eased past Rajasthan by 44 runs.

Defending champions Delhi continued their fine form as they defeated Kerala by seven wickets in a Group A game. All the bowlers picked a wicket each as Kerala could only reach 139/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Nitish Rana and Unmukt Chand then put together a 64-run partnership for the third wicket to ensure Delhi cruised to victory.

In another Group A game, Manipur thrashed Nagaland by 10 wickets, while J&K beat Andhra by five wickets.

In Group C, Sikkim were bundled out for 75 as Saurashtra cruised through to a seven-wicket win. Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya picked two wickets each as Sikkim struggled to get any sort of momentum in their innings.

India Test ace Cheteshwar Pujara's unbeaten 39 guided his team to a comfortable victory.

Mumbai also beat Goa by six wickets in another Group C game in Indore, while Madhya Pradesh lost to Railways by five wickets at the Holkar Stadium.

In Group E, Uttarakhand beat Tripura by 37 runs, while Maharashtra prevailed over Hyderabad by seven wickets. Uttar Pradesh thrashed minnows Puducherry by 77 runs. Baroda lost to Services by 7 wickets.