Yuvraj hundred puts Punjab on top

Haryana 283 (Jayant 51*, Rajwinder 3-62, Ladda 3-90) and 26 for 3 (Sandeep 3-13) require another 295 runs v Punjab 273 (Yuvraj 59, Jayant 6-85) and 330 for 6 decl (Yuvraj 130, Amitoze 65)
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Yuvraj Singh struck a brisk hundred and Sandeep Sharma took three early wickets to put Haryana in trouble, after setting them a target of 321 with a day to go in Patiala. Punjab declared at the score of 330 for 6 in their second innings soon after Yuvraj's 130 to have 10 overs to bowl to the Haryana batsmen, in which they were left struggling at 26 for 3.

Resuming at 21 for 0, leading by 11, Punjab's top order got starts but could not capitalise on them - Jiwanjot Singh, Manan Vohra and Mandeep Singh fell for low double-digit scores, leaving the team at 94 for 3. Amitoze Singh and Yuvraj then got together to put Punjab in the driver's seat with a stand of 145 runs at 4.55 per over. Wicketkeeper Nitin Saini rolled his arm and broke the stand by dismissing Amitoze for 65 and also got rid of Gurkeerat Singh for 20. But Yuvraj continued at the other end, hammering 14 fours and fives sixes during his 20th first-class hundred to take the score past 300. Punjab declared with a lead of 320 once Yuvraj handed a return catch to Amit Mishra, who also finished with two wickets, like Saini and Jayant Yadav.

Haryana were rocked early in the chase when Sandeep removed Abhimanyu Khod and Sunny Singh in consecutive deliveries in the third over. He didn't get the hat-trick but struck again four overs later with the wicket of Yuzvendra Chahal to leave Haryana with a tough task of scoring another 295 runs to win.

Delhi's pacers took nine wickets between them to bowl Saurashtra out for 217 and earn their team a huge first-innings lead at the Roshanara Club Ground. Saurashtra, who began the day at 152 for 6, could only manage another 65 runs, as Sumit Narwal (3 for 52), Parvinder Awana (3 for 30) and Rajat Bhatia (3 for 25) each claimed three scalps to run through their line-up in 79.5 overs. Divyaraj Chauhan was Saurashtra's top scorer with 63, but nobody else was able to score more than 38. With a massive lead of 225 in hand, Delhi enforced the follow-on and once again made early breakthroughs. Narwal, Awana, Bhatia and Navdeep Saini claimed a wicket each, as Saurashtra were struggling at 163 for 4 at stumps, still trailing by 62.

Odisha 311 and 1 for 0 trail Maharashtra 371 (Khadiwale 83, Mundhe 82, Khurana 54, Behera 4-82) by 59 runs
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Fifties from Harshad Khadiwale, Chirag Khurana and Shrikant Mundhe helped Maharashtra secure a first-innings lead against Odisha in Pune. Maharasthra were well-placed at 126 for 0 when the day began, but the openers Khadiwale and Khurana could only add 11 more runs to that partnership, as Deepak Behera dismissed both batsmen in successive overs early on. Khadiwale struck 13 fours during his 83, while Khurana's 54 included 10 fours. Behera took 4 for 82 to rattle Maharashtra's top and middle order, and Biplab Samantray's 3 for 36 cleaned up the tail, but by then, Maharashtra had already posted 371 to take a 60-run lead. The hosts were aided largely by Mundhe's unbeaten 82 down the order, and a handy 44 from Kedar Jadhav.

Rajasthan 195 (Arjit 44, Chaudhary 4-62) and 34 for 3 (Chaudhary 2-20) need another 378 runs to beat Gujarat 340 and 266 (Panchal 110, Gehlot 4-50)
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A century from Priyank Kirit Panchal, and a two-wicket burst from Ishwar Chaudhary left Gujarat comfortably placed to prevail against Rajasthan in Jaipur. Set a steep target of 412, Rajasthan were tottering at 34 for 3 at stumps. The hosts were 172 for 8 in their first innings when the day began, and Gujarat needed just 6.2 overs to claim the final two wickets, as Rajasthan were bowled out for 195. Gujarat lost two early wickets in their second essay, but Panchal's 110, which included 18 fours, as well as thirties from Parthiv Patel, Rujul Bhatt and Akshar Patel, lifted the team to 266. Shailender Gehlot was the pick of Rajasthan's bowlers, collecting 4 for 50. Rajasthan did not begin their chase well, as they lost Siddharth Saraf, Vineet Saxena and Gehlot in the space of three overs, leaving them 378 runs adrift heading into the final day.