Punjab seamers destroy Maharashtra

Punjab 122 for 3 (Ricky 53) beat Maharashtra 121 by 7 wickets
Scorecard

Punjab's trio of fast bowlers justified their captain's decision to field first, shooting out Maharashtra for a paltry 121 in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final at Delhi. Gagandeep Singh, Amit Uniyal and VRV Singh snared nine wickets between them as Punjab eased into the semi-finals with a seven-wicket win, thanks largely to Ravneet Ricky's unebaten half-century.

Gagandeep began the proceedings with the second ball of the day, castling Praveen de Shetty for a duck, before nailing Hrishikesh Kanitkar in his second over. Uniyal, his new-ball partner, removed Rohit Motwani and Sridharan Sriram and Maharashtra were tottering at 13 for 4 in the seventh over. Yogesh Takawale and Nikhil Paradkar staged a mini recovery, adding 42 for the fifth wicket with each notching up 21 apiece.

Both fell in the span of two overs and it took a 53-run stand between Shrikant Mundhe and Anupam Sanclecha to lend some respectability. Yet, a target of 122 was never going to be enough despite Maharashtra removing Ishan Malhatra in the second over. Ricky steered the chase with a controlled 53, spanning 98 deliveries and including six fours, and received good support from Karan Goel and Pankaj Dharmani, who chipped in with 20s.