Takawale ton helps Tripura hold on

Maharashtra's luck with the toss was proving to be decisive until Yogesh Takawale, who had represented them until 2007, came to Tripura's aid with an unbeaten century.

Despite spending substantial time in the middle, none of the top-order could convert on their starts. Struggling at 117 for 6, Tripura's first sign of stability came from a seventh-wicket stand of 126, which came at an appreciable pace as well as Timir Chandra struck seven fours in a cameo of 43. Seamer Shrikant Mundhe, who was one of the key reasons for Tripura's batting troubles, broke the stand to end up with three wickets before stumps was called. Takawale, on 105 with 10 fours and three sixes, will be expected to marshall the lower order - with only two batsmen left in the hut - and take Tripura to a reasonable total.

Play was possible only after tea in Dharamsala as the state government took control of the HPCA stadium, cancelling the lease of lands allotted to the local board headed by opposition party member, Anurag Thakur.

With some help from the BCCI, 27 overs of play was possible on the first day. Goa reaped immediate dividends after electing to field as Himachal Pradesh opener Sangram Singh was bowled early in the second over. But aggressive forties from Prashant Chopra and Abhinav Bali, put paid to Goa's initial momentum.

This was Bali's first match since being banned for a year last season, after a TV channel sting operation revealed his involvement in alleged corruption in domestic cricket. He was charged by the BCCI for "loose talk and unsubstantiated bragging" which brought the game into disrepute.

Himachal finished at a solid 136 for 2, and officials decided to add an extra hour of play to the next three days to make up for the lost time.

Kerala picked up regular wickets through the course of play and prevented Assam from enjoying home advantage on the first day in Guwahati.

The opening partnership started promisingly with a 44-run stand. Dheeraj Jadhav and Sibsankar Roy were very patient, but their union was only marginally more successful, accumulating 53 runs for the third wicket. Both batsmen were dismissed in the thirties when they looked set to score much more.

Niraj Patel was unbeaten on 32, and he will have to ensure Assam break the thirties jinx to help them to a competitive first innings total. Offspinner Vinoop Manoharan was the best bowler on display for Kerala, picking up 2 for 31 off 26 overs.

Rain and a wet outfield forced a truncated first day in the match, but Hyderabad lost their openers early after Andhra won the toss and fielded.

Two of Hyderabad's more familiar faces, thanks to the IPL, Tirumalasetti Suman and Hanuma Vihari were fresh at the crease when the day's play ended.