Siraj four-for rocks Chhattisgarh; Unadkat shines for Saurashtra

Group A

If we all thought - I emphasis on 'we' because it includes me - that it'll be a walk in the park for Andhra, think again. Nagaland, the only team without a win in this group, have staged a sensational recovery from 59 for 4 to post 322 for 6 at stumps. The remarkable recovery was made possible thanks to Chetan Bist, who finishes 160 not out. Bist put on 167 for the fifth wicket with D Nischal, who made 74.

Vidarbha captain Harsh Dubey rises to the occasion in a must-win; his 6 for 37 helps bowl Uttar Pradesh out for 237. Vidarbha make a solid beginning, 33/0 to take the opening-day honours.

The one team that can ensure Vidarbha don't qualify, have been tested thorougly. Jharkhand hsve been key at bay as Odisha end on 242 for 6, courtesy half-centuries from Swastik Samal & Govinda Podder.

Group B

On an intense day in which 12 wickets fell, MP and Maharashtra shared the honours in what is a must-win game. Having been bowled out for 187, courtesy Rajvardhan Hangargekar's five-for, MP reduced Maharashtra to 52/2, dismissing both Prithvi Shaw and Arshin Kulkarni.

On a turner in Mohali, Punjab recovered from 168/6 to post 303 for 9 at stumps against Karnataka, who simply have to win. Emanjot Chahal is unbeaten on 77. Shreyas Gopal, the legspinner, and Vidyadhar Patil, the seamer, picked up three wickets apiece.

Having bundled out Chandigarh for 145, Saurashtra have powered ahead to end on 151 for 1. Jaydev Unadkat, the Saurashtra captain, was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 44. A Saurashtra win will make it that much harder for Karnataka if they don't win their game.

On a truncated day in Lahli, in a clash between the top two sides heavily favoured to progress, Bengal ended on 157 for 5. Sudip Chatterjee is unbeaten on 77; all Haryana bowlers shared the spoils equally. Bengal are already through, Haryana will get there with a drawn result, as long as Uttarakhand don't win outright.

In news they wouldn't want to hear, though, Uttarakhand have made a dominant start, finishing on 279 for 3 against Assam. Kunal Chandela is unbeaten on 128.

A lead will be enough to progress, but J&K look good for a lot more. They skittled Himachal for 168 courtesy a five-wicket haul by left-arm seamer Sunil Kumar. They ended strongly on 20/0.

In Mumbai, having already qualified, Mumbai bowled Delhi out for 221, and ended 13/1 at stumps. Seamer Mohit Awasthi picked up a five-for.

Four wickets for Saurashtra's inspirational captain, two apiece for Chetan Sakariya and Chirag Jani as they take giant steps towards a bonus-point win already. Having skittled Chandigarh for 136, Harvik and Jani have taken Saurashtra to 47/0.

A win here for Saurashtra opens up the group in ways unimaginable. All of MP, Maharashtra, Saurashtra and Karnataka are tussling for the two knockouts spots from Group B.

Jalaj Saxena, who went past 500 wickets in first-class cricket last week, isn't to be denied for long. He and Arshin Kulkarni, the seam-bowling allrounder, have picked up four wickets between them to slice through MP's lower order. Barring Venkatesh Iyer's 39 and Akshat Raghuwanshi's 25, there's hardly been any resistance of note for the hosts. MP 179/8.

His captaincy debut last week against Mumbai was forgettable, but Mohammed Siraj has enjoyed a better start to his second outing. Chhattisgarh are 261 for 8, with Siraj currently having figures of 4 for 49. This includes the wicket of top scorer Vikalp Tiwary for 94.

With just one win in six games, Hyderabad are out of knockouts contention. Chhattisgarh are third, and have a slim chance should they record a bonus-point win.

Mohit Awasthi's double-wicket over has dented Delhi big time.

And both are big wickets. That of Ayush Doseja, the captain, and Aryan Rana. Delhi are 148 for 4. Not long ago, they were cruising at 111 for 1.

This fixture between Bengal and Haryana could decide who tops Group C. Bengal currently lead with 30 points and are definitely through to the knockouts. Haryana are second with 24 points, with Uttarakhand on 22.

From 108/1, Shreyas Gopal and Mohsin Khan have spun a web on Punjab as they slip to 119/4. Abhijeet Garg, the opener, is going strong on 72 with Anmol Malhotra joining him in the middle. The two have taken Punjab to 142/4 at lunch.

Saurashtra have announced themselves, loud and clear.

Everyone is talking about Maharashtra v MP, Karnataka v Punjab as far as qualification goes, but Saurashtra are very much in this.

They've reduced hosts Chandigarh to 45 for 4.

So what must they do to qualify?

Well, for starters, win outright (ideally with a bonus point). Seven points from this match will take them to 26. And then they have to hope Karnataka don't win outright, because one of MP or Maharashtra will surely qualify.

Maharashtra's young seam-bowling sensation has rocked Madhya Pradesh's top order with a triple strike that has them reeling at 52 for 3. This includes the massive wicket of Rajat Patidar, their captain.

In a Group A fixture the defending champions simply have to win, Nachiket Bhute has given them an early breakthrough with the big wicket of Madhav Kaushik. UP 18/1 in nine overs. Aryan Juyal, the captain, joins Abhishek Goswami in the middle.

But how did Vidarbha get into must-win territory?

Well, a loss to Andhra last week in Anantapur has put them here. And it was a loss from a winnable position, courtesy Andhra's Shaikh Rasheed, whose century steered them home in a tricky chase.

And because Andhra have an eaiser outing against Nagaland, which many presume will end in their favour, Vidarbha have all to play for against Uttar Pradesh.

Delhi are 12/1 in the sixth over. Siddesh Lad is still captain, but the good news is Shardul Thakur will be back for the knockout stages.

Prasidh Krishna bowls an absolute peach that takes Saharan's edge, but wicketkeeper Kruthik Krishna puts down a straightforward catch. Saharan adds insult to injury with a lovely flick through square leg.

That said, Karnataka have struck early with Prabhsimran Singh caught in the gully attempting an uppish drive off Vidyadhar Patil. Punjab are currently 15/1.

This is another Group B fixture of massive significance.

The winner will most certainly qualify for the knockouts. Maharashtra are currently group toppers, with three wins and 24 points. Having beaten Karnataka last week in Alur, Madhya Pradesh have jumped to No. 2, with 22 points. Karnataka are currently third with 21 points, and Saurashtra fourth with 19 points.