Ranji Trophy 2012-13, Round IX, Day 3

Brief scores - scroll down for text updates

UP 160 (Deepak Behera 6-37) and 111 (Mohanty 4-31) beat Odisha (toss) 127 (Imtiaz 5-45) and 101 (Imtiaz 5-29, Rajpoot 3-42) by 43 in Cuttack

MP 135 (Joshi 3-17, Unadkat 3-20) and 89 for 2 need another 312 to beat Saurashtra (toss) 242 (Vasavada 54, Jackson 53, Makvana 51, Pandey 3-43) and 303 for 4 decl. (Pujara 203*, Vasavada 55) in Rajkot

Gujarat 244 (Parthiv Patel 101) and 159 for 5 trail Mumbai (toss) 447 (Jaffer 171) by 44 in Mumbai

Bengal (toss) 157 (Karan Shamra 4-22) and 13 for 1 need another 359 to beat Railways 214 (Paunikar 50, Sarkar 4-62) and 314 for 9 decl. (Paunikar 54) in Kolkata

Rajasthan 384 (Saxena 84, Ashish Reddy 5-67) and 103 for 2 lead Hyderabad (toss) 349 (Jhala 75*, Ashish Reddy 62) by 138 in Jaipur

Vidarbha 257 and 1 for 0 trail Delhi (toss) 523 for 9 decl. (Rawal 104, Chand 82) by 265 in Nagpur

Maharashtra (toss) 99 (Mithun 6-36, Binny 4-37) and (f/0) 315 for 2 (Khadiwale 136, Atitkar 78, Bawne 80*) trail Karnataka 572 for 9 decl. (Gautam 264*, Binny 172) by 158 in Pune

Tamil Nadu (toss) 415 for 5 (Dinesh Karthik 145*) v Haryana in Chennai

Andhra 329 (Muzumdar 146, Manukrishnan 3-87) and 23 for 0 lead Kerala (toss) 312 (Sanju Samson 122, Jagadeesh 117, Vijaykumar 4-77, Atchuta Rao 4-78) by 40 in Cuddapah

Goa 381 (Amogh Desai 105, Das 5-83) and 11 for 0 lead Assam (toss) 366 (Roy 87, Pallav Das 70) trail by 26 in Porvorim

Jharkhand (toss) 120 (Suraj Yadav 6-43) and 35 for 0 need another 183 to beat Services 185 (Chatterjee 97, Ajay Yadav 5-30) and 152 (Ajay Yadav 6-43) in Delhi

Tripura 226 for 5 v J&K (toss) in Jammu

***

5.20pm - A grandstand finish then What a final day in store. The first day of 2013 promises to be a blockbuster. Don't be hungover. Four places still open, and eight teams fighting for it. What a finish. Do join us tomorrow morning, and we will discuss all these crazy scenarios further. Have a safe 2013. Cheers

5.10pm - Big final stumps update It's the matches involving two teams from Maharashtra, but the fortunes of Karnataka and Delhi depend on them. Delhi have bowled Vidarbha out for 257 and enforced the follow-on. They have a day to take 10 wickets and surge into the semi-finals

Gainst Karnataka, Maharashtra have ended the day at 315 for 2, trailing by 158 still. Karnataka need that win too. These results will have an impact on each other in many ways. I will confuse you if I tell you. And Baroda will also be watching. Or following this blog

5pm - Andhra take the lead Andhra have bowled Kerala out for 312. Atchuta Rao and Vijaykumar take four each. But let me tell you, this lead is purely academic what with Assam failing to get their lead. Andhra will end at 24 points, and will hope that Jharkhand don't win against Services tomorrow. There will be many phone calls from Cudappah to Delhi tomorrow. Or easier still, they could simply follow this blog

Why Jharkhand will go through if Jharkhand wins? If Andhra gets first innings lead, they will also get 24 and Jharkhand gets 24 if they win the match.

Pavan, that's because Jharkhand will have three outright wins to Andhra's one

4.45pm - A recap on quarters scenarios Four of them have been identified - barring drunken miracles. Punjab, UP, Mumbai and Services are through. Saurashtra need to win their match to join them from Group A. Delhi, Karnataka and Baroda are fighting for two slots in Group B. And Baroda aren't even fighting. They are not playing in this round, so they are hoping. As for the slot from Group C, Andhra have to wait on the result from Delhi. If Jharkhand win there, Jharkhand go through, otherwise it is quarters for Andhra

At stumps, MP are 89 for 2. They need 312 runs, Saurashtra need eight wickets. What a day tomorrow

In Mumbai, Rujul Bhatt falls to what turns out to be the last ball of the day. Caught at short mid-wicket off Ankeet Chavan. Gujarat end at 159 for 5, still trailing by 44

4.40pm - Delhi's push continues Sumit Narwal takes another. Hosts Vidarbha 257 for 8 now. Another follow-on coming up. Can Delhi do better than Karnataka have done so far in their second innings?

4.37pm - Delhi press further Sumit Narwal takes a wicket now, that of Hemang Badani, and Vidarbha are 256 for 7. They still need 118 to avoid the follow-on

And finally, a second wicket for Karnataka. Khadiwale is gone for 136. Maharashtra 304 for 2. If they score 169 more, they make Karnataka bat again

4.35pm - Railways push for win Railways declared at 314 for 9, a lead of 371, and have taken a wicket before stumps. Bengal 13 for 1

4.30pm - Gujarat fall towards defeat Says Amol Karhadkar: "Javed Khan gets the much-needed breakthrough for Mumbai. Parthiv Patel, who was hardly in trouble for his run-a-ball 47, is done by the additional bounce extracted by Javed off a fuller one and Wasim Jaffer takes a sharp catch over his head at first slip. Gujarat 141 for 4, still 62 runs behind."

4.25pm - Assam fall at finish line Three wickets for eight runs. Goa take first-innings lead, and end the journey for Assam, who will finish with 21 points. Jadhav scored 52. Now it's easier for Andhra. All they have to do is hope Jharkhand don't beat Services

4.20pm - Jagadeesh gone Andhra are not giving up. Kerala's collapse continues. It is VA Jagadeesh gone now. They are 291 for 7. The new ball doing its job. Vijaykumar has a five-for

4.17pm - Drama in Delhi too Services have been bowled out for 152. That leaves Jharkhand 218 to get. If they do that, they are through to the quarters. Jharkhand have played exciting matches this year. Do they have it in to put one more big batting performance?

Another six-for a Yadav. Ajay Yadav this time. He and Suraj Yadav have taken 17 wickets between them

4.15pm - MP lose another Abhishek Purohit: "Terrible mix-up gifting another wicket to Saurashtra. Jalaj ran half way up the pitch after Choudhary worked one to square leg, stopped, then took a step or two more, before withdrawing. By that time, Choudhary has been done in. MP 57 for 2. Captain Bundela so disgusted he screamed in frustration and stormed from the balcony into the dressing room to put on his pads. He is next in at No 5, unless MP send in a nightwatchman, and still sitting with a scowl on"

4.12pm - Excitement in Goa And I don't mean the New Year's parties. Assam are 358 for 7, chasing 382 for three points. There has been a 34-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Dheeraj Jadhav and Abu Nechim

4.10pm - Sangwan strikes for Delhi Pradeep Sangwan has just got rid of Sairaj Bahutule, who added 71 for the sixth wicket with Hemang Badani, who is unbeaten on 65. Can Delhi convert this into quick wickets?

No such joy for Karnataka as Maharashtra's merry march reaches 275 for 1. The deficit under 200 now. What a bizarre day's play

4.05pm - Last bit of interest goes from Jaipur Ashish Reddy fails to get the hat-trick, and that's the last bit you will hear from me about the match in Jaipur. Unless there is some miracle. To recap, Rajasthan have taken the lead and Hyderabad have been relegated

4pm - Parthiv Patel hits out As he has been doing throughout the season, Parthiv Patel is going at a high clip. He is 35 off 33 as Gujarat reach 124 for 3

3.50pm - Jaffer gets the arm band After Zaheer Khan, it's Abhishek Nayar off the field in Mumbai. So for the first time since resigning as Mumbai captain last year, here is Wasim Jaffer manning the field again. Gujarat 120 for 3

3.47pm - Saurashtra make headway Dharmendrasinh Jadeja takes one of the 10 wickets his side needs to make it to the quarters. Naman Ojha gone for 18. MP 36 for 1

Says Abhishek Purohit: "MP lose their first. The debutant Jadeja, flighting every delivery of his first over, has got Ojha off the last ball. Like in the first innings, Ojha lofted him down the ground for two fours, tried that again, and gave a simple catch to mid-on. Poor stroke considering the match situation, and that he had already got runs in the over. MP can still have a chance if they somehow draw this one and Gujarat lose to Mumbai. For that to happen, they need better shot selection"

3.45pm - Another wicket in Cuddapah P Vijaykumar has taken another to reduce Kerala to 286 for 6. It's a strange innings: it has gone from 81 for 3 to 280 for 3 to 286 for 6. Still need 44 runs for the lead. Andhra desperate to get them out before that and seal their place in the quarters

Around the same time, Assam have lost one more to be at 323 for 6 now. All down to Dheeraj Jadhav for them, who is not out on 38. They need another 59 for the lead

Services have lost one as well. At 124 for 8, they are 189 ahead

3.40pm - Updates that Baroda will like Vidarbha have slowed down Delhi. There has been a 53-run stand for them. They are 202 for 5 now. It is highly unlikely this match will produce an outright result.

In Pune, Maharashtra have marched to 251 for 1 after that 99 all out in the morning. This, too, could end as a draw

If both these matches are drawn, Baroda will keep their second place

3.35pm - Ashish Reddy is on a hat-trick From the two wickets he took off the last two balls of the first innings, but he hasn't come to bowl yet. Rajasthan 21 for 1. This match is of no interest now, except for Ashish's go at a hat-trick. I'll let you know about that

3.30pm - Railways keep losing wickets They are 226 for 8 now, which is a lead of 283. They dismissed Bengal for 157 in the first effort

3.25pm - Services slide, but they are safe Services are losing wickets - 107 for 7 now - but with neither Andhra nor Assam likely to get an outright win, Services' position at the top of the table is safe. Here it's Jharkhand, who can topple both Assam and Andhra if they chase the target down. Right now Services are effectively 172 for 7

3.10pm - Kerala making it tough for Andhra If Kerala take a first-innings lead alone, it is not good enough for them, but it will give Andhra jittery moments. Andhra are now making a late comeback bid. They have taken two quick wickets. This could get interesting

It is getting interesting in Goa too. Assam have lost a few quick wickets to come down to 295 for 5. They need 87 for the lead. If Assam don't get that lead, Andhra go through regardless

In Cuddapah, Jagadeesh becomes the second Kerala batsman to score four hundreds in a season. K Jayaraman in 1986/7 is the only other. He needs around 10 runs to become the first batsman from here to score 800 in a season. It is not exactly fresh news because the previous best was only 612 by Sujith Somasunder.

Thanks, Sreeram, for that

3.05pm - Abhishek Purohit dissects Pujara's innings

0 to 50 in 88 balls, 50 to 100 in 63 balls, 100 to 150 in 51 balls, 150 to 200 in SEVENTEEN balls. Pujara 203* in 221 balls and five hours with 30 fours and one six. Saurashtra 303 for 4 declared in 76 overs. MP have a target of 411 in four sessions. And Pujara is already on the field during the tea break as Saurashtra warm up. What a man.

So that's a declaration during tea

3pm - Karnataka have broken through Karnataka finally get a wicket. Sangram Aitikar is gone. Maharashtra still 218 for 1 with Harshad Khadiwale's century

2.50pm - Vidarbha on the way out Rajat Bhatia has taken two in three balls in this last session to reduce Vidarbha to 189 for 5 on a flat pitch. In all likelihood Delhi will take three points from this match, and Vidarbha one. In that case, even if Karnataka don't win, Vidarbha will be out of it because of a poor run quotient. This side has not lost outright in two years

2.45pm - Pujara is killing it He has gone from 150 to 200 in no time at all. Hit Ishwar Pandey for five successive fours. Saurashtra 300 for 4 now

At tea, in Mumbai, Gujarat are sliding towards an outright defeat to Mumbai, who don't even need Zaheer Khan. Says Amol Karhadkar: "ujarat are on a slide just before tea. Abhishek Nayar, in charge of the Mumbai team with Zaheer absent, throws the ball to Suryakumar Yadav just before tea. And the part-timer strikes off his last ball as substitute Vishal Dabholkar dives in front at short mid-wicket to dismiss Bhargav Merai. And three balls later, Chavan gets one through Samit Gohel's defence. Gujarat 63 for 3, still trailing by 140"

2.40pm - Pujara running away with it Reports Abhishek Purohit: "Pujara pulls Rameez Khan to the deep midwicket rope, and is walking back to his crease. Vasavada runs into the scorer's cabin, finds Pujara has reached his 150, and the Saurashtra dressing room breaks into applause and cheers. Pujara hears that, turns around and raises his bat. Outstanding touch from Pujara. He reverse sweeps Rameez Khan from leg stump to the deep point boundary. A man goes there, so Pujara reverse-paddles the next ball to the third man rope. Gets better now, charges out to Ishwar Pandey's first ball of a new spell and lofts him over mid on. He's toying with Pandey, now he steps out and drills a full toss through extra cover for four more"

Fair to deduce that MP are up against it

2.30pm - Tea about to end in Kolkata Railways are effectively 256 for 5, and they might want to declare some time in this session to try to force an outright win to be in a position to take advantage should it rain in Rajkot tomorrow (I'm an optimist)

2.20pm - Maharashtra still going strong They lost their first 10 wickets for 99, but Maharashtra have begun well in the second innings, reaching 116 for no loss at more than four runs an over. Out of the 25 overs bowled, only eight have been bowled by Mithun and Binny, who took all the first-innings wickets

2.10pm - Hyderabad relegated They are bowled out 349. That's a deficit of 35, and I don't think there is enough time left to reverse this result. Rajasthan will finish with 11 points, Hyderabad with 10

1.50pm - Mid-afternoon drinks in Rajkot Reports Abhishek Purohit: "Saurashtra 187 for 4, 60 overs, Pujara 113* off 173, Dave 0* off 8. Vasavada out for 55 off 125, caught behind pushing forward off Jalaj. Important fifties in both innings for Vasavada. Pujara running away with the game, lead close to 300 now"

Thanks for the clarification. If only one team from Group B will be relegated, I am fully convinced, that the TN game is of no consequence but academic. I read in wikipedia (Ranji Trophy page) that 2 teams will be relegated from Group A and Group B. Hence the curiosity to know the news about the TN game.

Prakash, wikipedia is wrong in this case. I am pretty sure only one team each from A and B goes down. I have confirmed with BCCI

Is it possible to give a link to the points table from blog page? That would be nice.

Rajesh Naik, here it is

1.40pm - Run quotient and all that For all the Karnataka fans, S Rajesh has run a calculation, and has found out that even if Karnataka win by an innings and one run, their run quotient will go over Baroda's. So if they win by an innings, Karnataka need not worry about other permutations. How Baroda will be hoping that doesn't happen

"@cricinfo who is the best seaming all rounder this season reddy or dhawan? what is the pace of these guys??" Vish, for me it is Abhishek Nayar, and I am talking strictly Ranji Trophy purposes. I'd hate to see that man in the opposition. He scores valuable runs, fields like a tiger, and is a canny bowler. He has overtaken Rajat Bhatia, who is one of the more under-appreciated Ranji players

1.35pm "If two lowest placed teams of group B will be relegated to Group C. It is still possible that TN will get relegated. It is most likely that Maharashtra and TN or Harayana will be relegated. What a season the last year Finalists TN and Rajasthan are having? UP have been pretty consistent and close in the last few years. I hope UP takes the title this year."

Prakash, only one team each from Group A and Group B will be relegated. So it's Maharashtra from B, and either Rajasthan or Hyderabad from A

1.30pm - Hundred for Pujara Pujara's first Ranji hundred of the season. Reports Abhishek Purohit: Pujara reaching hundred with two fours, one by stepping out and driving Jalaj through extra cover. Then, as he dropped short, Pujara pulled him hard to the deep square boundary. And then defended the next ball calmly"

1.20pm - Amol Karhadkar in Mumbai

Vijay Patil, the man behind the DY Patil Stadium, hosts the journos for lunch in the President's Lounge. The delicious menu included Cream of celery soup, chapati, chicken kolhapuri, reshmi paneer, steamed rice, dal palak and pineapple sheera. Time for a nap? You can afford to, I can't. Gujarat, who have conceded a lead of 203, have lost a wicket already. Zaheer Khan isn't on the field, so Javed Khan is sharing the new ball with Dhawal Kulkarni.

Amol, I suppose Zaheer can afford to rest now. Mumbai are through. They don't need to make the running here

1.15pm - Exciting contest in Jaipur Amol Shinde strikes a quick 33 off 36 before he is caught and bowled by Rituraj Singh. Hyderabad 322 for 8. Need 62 to avoid relegation (first-innings tie works in Hyderabad's favour because they have more pints). Rajasthan need two wickets for 61 to avoid going from champions to relegation. Parth Jhala is the anchor man with 59 not out off 144

1.10pm - Abhishek Purohit finds lunch more interesting

The SCA continues to outdo itself as far as lunch spreads go. Brace yourself, the local flavour was out in full force today. Ringda no olo (baingan bharta), sev tameta nu shaak, dhokli (gattey ka saag, made of besan), SCA making sure it does not repeat itself, undiyu absent today, rotis, bajra nu rotlo, to be had with either makkhan or ghee or both, the lady at the lunch counter points out, khichdi, kadhi, curds, chicken curry, rice, salad - tomatoes, onions, spring onions, radish, also barfis, papad, and of course, you need chaas for all that food to settle in your stomach

PS: "Gujarati hospitality on display - after all this, the lady points out more hot, fresh rotis are on the way."

1pm - MP on the defensive Says Abhishek Purohit: "Sau 142 for 3, Pujara 78*, Vasavada 49*, left-arm spinner Ankit bowling from over the stumps to a fine leg, and deep square"

Inconsequential or not..Reporting has to be done. Nothing is over until the fat lady sings. There is always a theorotical possibility. TN can still post a score of 400 and if the pitch favours their bowlers, they might even bowl the oppn out twice and get 7 points.

Yes, Prakash, if miracles happen, we will get to them. But we will continue to prioritise and give text updates on important matches, and not flights of fancy. By the way, even if TN get seven points, it is highly unlikely they will progress

12.50pm - Mithun and Binny not bowling much In the second innings in Pune, Maharashtra have raced to 81 for 0 in 18 overs, but the two wicket-takers from the first innings - Mithun and Binny - have bowled only five overs between them

12.40pm - Railways lose wickets but still ahead Railways have lost five wickets for 177, but they will like to believe they have got a big lead: 234 with five wickets in hand. However, this won't help them if Saurashtra win outright against MP

But TN match is important in that team with first innings lead will avoid relegation.

No Anthaz, it's Maharashtra who are sure to be relegated unless they can post a miraculous outright win against Karnataka

12.10pm - Other lunch updates A tight fight to avoid relegation, in Jaipur. The Hyderabad lower order has done well to reach 292 for 7, but they will have to face the new ball in the next session. Ninety-two runs to play with

Vidarbha are 119 for 3. Delhi will have to work hard for their wickets on a flat pitch

Maharahstra have raced to 76 for 0 in 17 overs in their follow-on

VA Jagadeesh is the key man for Kerala, but a first-innings lead won't help them. Kerala - 160 for 3 - need an outright win. Andhra, though, will want a first-innings lead so that they don't have to depend on other results.

Assam are 242 for 3, and need another 140 to take three points, and leave the ball in other teams' courts

Why still no news from the TN match? Why this Boycott? Cant imagine the reasons for your inaction.

Prakash, because it is an inconsequential match already affected by rain. No excitement there

We will be back soon

Noon - Lunch updates Musings from Abhishek Purohit in Rajkot first: "Saurashtra 128 for 3, 44 overs, Pujara 73* off 121 (11 fours), Vasavada 40* off 82 balls (6 fours), partnership 105 off 166 balls. Vasavada has been solid too, but Pujara has been the difference. He has batted at another level, big forward stride against the pace of Pandey, steering him between slip and gully with precision and then straight driving his fuller delivery powerfully. Against spin, he's been immovable, not committing either with feet or with locked wrists. Treat to watch him whip the spinners. Pity there is no photographer at the ground. Rajput 5-0-22-0, he's been tossing it up all the while, the issue was with the quicker one"

In Mumbai, because Mumbai are nine down, lunch has been delayed. Says Amol Karhadkar: "Abhishek Nayar has taken a liking to Ishwar Choudhury's bowling, hitting him for four fours in two overs. Zaheer is chipping in too, having managed two boundaries after receiving treatment for a blow below the knee roll. Mumbai 447 for 9. Lead past 200"

Okay, Mumbai have been bowled out now, and lunch is taken. Nayar remains not out on 72. A huge lead for Mumbai: 203

11.55am - Play starts in Delhi Fog has receded in the capital, and Services have added three to their total to take their lead to 100 with eight wickets in hand

11.50am - The headline of the day Loksatta is so impressed with Wasim Jaffer's 171 yesterday it says "Suhana Jaffer aur ye mausam haseen"

11.45am - A different start for Maharashtra They look much more assured in the second innings at 55 for 0 in 12 overs

11.40am - Menaria gets the big one Ashok Menaria gets the big wicket of the rampaging Ashish Reddy, and Rajasthan are favourites again in Jauipur. Hyderabad 267 for 7. Rajasthan lead by 117

In Nagpur, Faiz Fazal is gone, and Vidarbha are down at 105 for 3 now. This can go close too. Don't count Delhi out yet

11.35am - Lunch in Kolkata Railways have made it to 150 for 4, which is a lead of 207. They need to win, and hope that there is a draw in Rajkot

"Both Karnataka and Baroda will be hoping Delhi take a lead there" - Are you kidding? All three have the same number of wins and Vidarbha has a poor poor Quotient. To qualify with 3 points only in this round, they will have to make something like 580/2 !! All Karnataka and Baroda need is a draw, which is very likely.

Anand Gautam, what if Karnataka don't get a bonus points. In that case, who would Karnataka fans rather see take lead? Delhi? Or Vidarbha?

11.25am - Fifty for Pujara Cheteshwar Pujara reaches his first fifty of the Ranji season, and is taking Saurashtra to a total they can feel safe defending. Saurashtra 91 for 3. Lead by 208

11.20am - Amol Karhadkar in Mumbai

Dhawal Kulkarni's batting prowess is on display. First, he lofts Samit Gohel for a six straight into the sight screen. And in the next over, drives Rush Kalaria straight down the wicket for a four. Mumbai 395 for 7

And immediately he adds that Kulkarni is gone. But Mumbai lead by more than 150. That's big enough

11.10am - Follow-on enforced As expected, Karnataka have enforced the follow-on on Maharashtra, who are 4 for 0 in their second piece

11.05am - Off to relegation contest In Jaipur, Ashish Reddy is fighting hard to stave off relegation for Hyderabad. He is 54 off 59. He has taken his side from an overnight 160 for 5 to 247 for 6. Still a long way to go to Rajasthan's 384, though

11am - Now to Group C Sorry, it's been a frenetic morning elsewhere. First of all, let's go to Cuddapah where VA Jagadeesh is holding fort for Kerala - as usual - but Andhra have taken one more wicket. So Kerala are 119 for 3 now, with Jagadeesh on 58. This could go tight

Assam look good to take three points against Goa. They are 208 for 1 in response to the hosts' 381

No play yet in foggy Delhi. Services hold the aces there against Jharkhand

In the inconsequential and weather-interrupted match in Jammu, Tripura have reached 77 for 2

10.50am - A look at points table in Group B More than Karnataka, Baroda will be relieved Odisha have lost and are out. Odisha could have made it tough for them, and poor Baroda are not even playing.

Now Nagpur match becomes crucial too. Both Karnataka and Baroda will be hoping Delhi take a lead there, and there is no outright result achieved. Hence, scores there are crucial too. Vidarbha are 79 for 2, chasing 524 for a lead. That pitch is flat, so things won't move fast unless Vidarbha bat very badly

Right now, Baroda and Karnataka are the favourites to join UP in quarters from Group B

10.47am - Follow-on for Maharashtra surely? Mithun finishes it off with a six-for. Maharashtra bowled out for 99. Surely there's got to be a follow-on?

10.46am - Abhishek Purohit in Rajkot

Ajay Rajput, called twice for a suspect action in the first innings,coming on now. Umpires had a problem with his quicker delivery. And an appeal for leg before first ball against Pujara, but going down leg. He has apparently never had an issue with his action before. Saurashtra 55 for 3

10.45am - Karnataka's rousing comeback continues Abhimanyu Mithin has five, Stuart Binny has four, and Maharashtra are nine down for 95. In Pune! A follow-on coming up for sure

10.37am - UP seal it Ali Murtaza takes the last wicket. Odisha 101 all out. UP win by 43. Imtiaz Ahmed ends with 10 wickets for the match. UP are now top of the table, and will get a Group C team in the quarters. This has been a superb season for them. Hard luck, Odisha, but they had no choice but to take the gamble of producing a seaming track against the best attack in the country

10.35am - Update from Rajkot Abhishek Purohit is massively annoyed by the somewhat defensive fields set by MP. Anyway he is mightily impressed with Pandey's first spell of the day: 6-4-2-2. Saurashtra 42 for 3. The lead reaches 149

10.32am - Amol Karhadkar in Mumbai

Suryakumar Yadav shoulders Kushang Patel and finds the ball coming in and rapping him on to the pads. No doubts whatsoever for the ump in giving that decision. Yadav gone for 42, his highest for the season, Mumbai 357 for 6

And immediately after that: "Gujarat strikes yet again! Ishwar Choudhary finds Ankeet Chavan stranded in the middle of the crease. Mumbai 358 for 7"

10.30am - The Mithun-Binny show continues Both of them have taken a wicket each. Maharashtra 90 for 8. This is some effort from Karnataka.

10.25am - Odisha reach 100 The last stand is worth 11 now. Odisha 100 for 9. Need 45.

10.22am - Funny scenes in Mumbai And they have to do with the legendarily unpretty Abhishek Nayar stance. Syas Amol Karhadkar: "The Mumbai dugout is watching a ball boy emulating Abhishek Nayar's unusual stance every time he faces a a ball. As the ball boy is distracted by his friend, Mumbai trainer Amogh Pandit, who is halfway through to his routine of 12 laps jogging, tells the kid to do it. 'Wapas dikha,' he says and the kid obliges. Mumbai 350 for 5"

10.20am - Abhishek Purohit in Rajkot

Pujara looking solid in defence, and he's just played that typical full-blooded cut, but the modern spoiler, deep backward point is in place. Saurashtra 30 for 3. A lead of 137

10.15am - Karnataka on a roll This is a late turnaround, but Karnataa can feel it now, especially with Odisha like to lose their match. Maharashtra are - you better believe it - 80 for 6 in Pune. Three wickets each for Mithun and Binny

10.10am - Almost over in Cuttack Natraj Behera is gone. Ankit Rajpoot gets him. Odisha 89 for 8. UP set to finish top of table and face a Group C side in quarters

Oh hang on. It's happening all too fast now. Odisha 89 for 9. Rajpoot has another. Two wickets in three balls. No chance for a hat-trick then

Meanwhile, no start yet to the third day in Delhi and Jammu

10.05am - Abhshek Purohit in Rajkot

Ishwar Pandey has got MP two breakthroughs. Just uprooted Jaydev Shah's middle stump with one that stayed low, but also jagged back in through the gate as the batsman was looking to drive. Saurashtra 23 for 3

10.02am - UP are relentless Imtiaz Ahmed has five more. Ten for the match. Halhadar Das is gone. Bowled. Imtiaz has 5 for 25. Odisha 87 for 7

I am going to have my lunch in a place which is to be determined by the result of the UP-Odisha match. If UP wins i will go to a North Indian mess run by a guy from meerut,If Odisha wins i go to a oriya mess.

That's a good ploy, Nithin. Tell them the result of the match, and they might not charge you for the food

10am - Amol Karhadkar gets a ringside view He says: "We have been brought closer to the action. From the media centre that is too high and removed from the action, we've been shifted to the other end of the field - right next to the sight screen. From here, we can work whenever we need to. Otherwise, we can sit barely feet away from the boundary line and enjoy the sound of the bat thudding on to the ball. That is what Ranji Trophy is all about. Listening to all sorts of sounds on the field, including the banter that goes on among players"

9.55am - Railways lose their first Shivakant Shukla is gone, but not before he has provided Railways with a second good start of the match. The first wicket added 74. Amit Paunikar is unbeaten on 50. They now lead by 131

9.50am - No more wickets in Cuttack yet A ceasefire of sorts. Odisha have been slow, but they haven't yet lost their seventh wicket. They are 82 for 6 now. Sixty-three more. People score that in four overs in T20, but this is no T20

And yes, play has started on time in Cuddapah. Kerala have reached 71 for 2

9.45am - Amol Karhadkar in Mumbai

Morning. Not much action at the start of the day, except for Suryakumar Yadav hitting the first boundary off the day off what was the last ball of the third over. Mumbai 324 for 5

Yes Amol, Mumbai don't need much action. If they bat on till tea, they are through to quarters. Even otherwise too, but that will make sure they progress

9.40am - Elsewhere Mumbai and Saurashtra have started building on their leads. Delhi and Karnataka have started trying to get the two other teams from Maharashtra out. Assam have started the long journey towards three crucial points. An on-time start for Andhra v Kerala too. Andhra right now are likelier to get three points, but you never know

If Karnataka and Odisha finish with same points, what are the rules to break the tie?

Rajeev, the first tiebreaker is the number of outright wins, and then the run quotient

9.30am - Big wicket in Cuttack The well-set Govind Podder is gone for 36. Imtiaz Ahmed has his man. His 36 is the second-highest score of the match, but it's over now. UP firm favourites now. Odisha 74 for 6

9.25am - Not too long before a wicket falls Twnety-five minutes into the day, UP have broken through. Ankit Rajpoot has dismissed Deepak Behara. Five down now, on 72. Still 73 runs needed. Govind Podder remains firm, on 35. He could be playing an innings of a lifetime if he takes Odisha through

Railways, meanwhile, have reached 51 for 0

9.10am - Partnership in Cuttack Ten minutes into the day, and we haven't seen a wicket fall. Govind Podder and Deepak Behera have added 24 runs. Odisha are 64 for 4. Still 81 runs adrift

In Kolkata, Railways have progressed to 41 for 0, a total lead of 98

9am Welcome to the last day of 2012. It's business as usual in Ranji Trophy, and not many of these cricketers will be partying late into tonight. There are quarterfinals places to be fought for. And it's all set up beautifully. I'd say five places are still open with two days to. First business of the day will be to see who wins in Cuttack. Thirty-four wickets have fallen in two days, and we will have a result today. UP and Odisha players can party in downtown Cuttack without having to bother about an early start tomorrow