Dravid leads Karnataka to easy win

Karnataka easily disposed of Orissa with Rahul Dravid top-scoring with 54 from 35 balls, with nine fours. Devraj Patil, the young wicketkeeper, again came good, hitting 44 at the top of the order. Karnataka made 157, a score that would prove well beyond the reach of Orissa who were bowled out for 113.

When they attempted to chase the target Orissa were hampered by the regular loss of wickets, and only Prabhajan Mullick, the captain, who appeared to be struggling with a hamstring injury and even needed a runner for some of his stay at the crease, resisted meaningfully, making 40. S Aravind, the left-arm seamer, picked up 3 for 10 from just 2.4 overs, making full use of the chance to open the bowling in the absence of R Vinaykumar, out due to illness.

Karnataka's win along with Punjab's 11-run defeat to Gujarat mean that the tournament is still wide open, with a strong possibility that the finalists will be decided by net run-rates after the results of tomorrow's matches in Ahmedabad and Mumbai.