Uthappa, Agarwal puncture Delhi; Easwaran shines for Bengal

Karnataka 358 for 3 (Uthappa 148, Agarwal 118, Suyal 2-78) v Delhi
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Robin Uthappa struck his third successive century this season, while Mayank Agarwal stroked his maiden first-class century as Karnataka flattened Delhi in a marquee top of the table clash in Hubli. It rained runs on what appeared to be a green top, with Karnataka racing away to 358 for 3 when stumps were drawn. Pawan Suyal, the medium pacer, was the most successful bowler for Delhi with the wickets of R Samarth (17) and Agarwal (118).

Uthappa's 148 was studded with 16 fours and six sixes, with the highlight of the day being his two fours and four sixes in a single over off Dhruv Shorey to race from 95 to 127. It also happened to be his 17th century in the Ranji Trophy to put him joint-second with Rahul Dravid in the list of century makers for Karnataka. Brijesh Patel tops the charts with 26 centuries.

Bengal 142 (Eswaran 88, Dhiraj 5-58) and 23 for 0 lead Odisha 107 (Gani 6-34) by 58 runs
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Abhimanyu Easwaran's 88 was the highlight on a day in which 20 wickets fell in Kalyani as Bengal took charge against Odisha despite being bowled out for a paltry 142 in the first innings. While Easwaran was the batting mainstay, Aamir Gani, the offspinner, returned career-best figures of 6 for 34 to skittle Odisha for 107. Easwaran and Sayan Mondal then added 20 without losing a wicket in nine overs as Bengal ended a frenetic day with a 58-run lead.

On a day in which little went right for Odisha with the bat, their bowlers gave a good account of themselves, with Dhiraj Singh, the left-arm spinner, taking 5 for 58. Suryakant Pradhan, the medium pacer, had three scalps.

Rajasthan 75 for 1 (Saxena 38*) trail Haryana 112 (Sehwag 22, Mohit 22, Pankaj Singh 4-10, Bhatia 3-41) by 37 runs
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Pankaj Singh made an impact immediately upon returning from a hamstring injury by taking 4 for 10 in 14.2 overs as Haryana were shot out for 112 in Lahli. Virender Sehwag, who returned to lead the side after missing the last two games because of his commitments with the All-Stars T20 series in USA, top scored with 29, while Mohit Sharma, batting at No.10 contributed 23.

Rajasthan's openers started well with Manendar Singh and Vineet Saxena added 61, before Ashish Hooda broke through to dismiss the debutant for 22. Saxena and Puneet Yadav ensured there would be further casualties as Rajasthan ended the day on 75 for 1, bringing the deficit down to just 37 with the heart of their batting still to come.

No play was possible at the MCA Stadium in Pune after overnight rains and a wet outfield forced the players indoors for most parts of the day. When the outfield was good enough for the match to start, the light deteriorated sharply, with umpires calling off play at 4.10pm. Play will begin 15 minutes early on the remaining three days.