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It is uncommon for a Ranji Trophy last to instrumentality signifier with astir 2 afloat days of cricket left successful the semifinals. But that’s what happened connected Wednesday astatine the Ekana Cricket Stadium present and successful distant Kalyani, aft conscionable 90 minutes of play.
Karnataka wore Uttarakhand down further and earned a monolithic 503-run first-innings pb adjacent arsenic Jammu & Kashmir reached the 126-run people to oust Bengal.
Uttarakhand, from an overnight 149 for five, was bundled retired for 233 connected the penultimate morning. With nary request to unit an outright result, Karnataka batted again and got to 299 for six by stumps, with the wide pb present a gigantic 802.
The lone scare for the eight-time champion was the wounded to skipper Devdutt Padikkal, who wounded his close manus portion grassing Abhay Negi astatine gully disconnected Prasidh Krishna.
Karnataka batsman Kruthik Krishna made the astir of the accidental to unfastened the innings to people a fractional period connected the 4th time of the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Uttarakhand astatine the Ekana Cricket Stadium successful Lucknow connected Wednesday, February 18, 2026. | Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY
The 25-year-old, who had his fingers taped for the remainder of the day, neither marshalled his squad thereafter nor came retired to bat.
But Karnataka didn’t miss him 1 spot and would person been thankful for the further remainder and betterment clip up of the last starting connected February 24.
Armed with the abstraction to experiment, Karnataka rejigged its batting bid successful the 2nd essay, asking wicket-keeper Kruthik Krishna to unfastened with Mayank Agarwal and promoting Shreyas Gopal to No. 3.
Kruthik capitalised by scoring his 2nd half-century of the contention (52, 97b, 9x4) but Shreyas could not arsenic helium was retired for his 3rd duck successful 4 innings.
R. Smaran, though, displayed his immense hunger for runs by conjuring his 2nd period of the match, 4th of the run and sixth successful First Class cricket (127, 149b, 12x4, 3x6).
The 22-year-old has present totalled 950 Ranji Trophy runs successful 2025-26, a splendid accomplishment for idiosyncratic playing lone his 2nd season.
K.L. Rahul, coming successful astatine No. 6, made an entertaining, unbeaten 70 (67b, 3x4, 5x6) and the 168-run concern with Smaran each but reduced Uttarakhand to a heap of dust.
The scores: Karnataka — 1st innings: 736.
Uttarakhand — 1st innings: Bhupen Lalwani c Kruthik b Vidyadhar 15, Prashant Chopra lbw b Vidyadhar 5, Avneesh Sudha b Vyshak 27, Lakshya Raichandani b Vyshak 55, Kunal Chandela c Rahul b Shreyas 12, J. Suchith b Prasidh 21, Saurabh Rawat c Smaran b Vyshak 14, Abhay Negi c Karun b Shreyas 9, Mayank Mishra st. Kruthik b Shikhar 10, Aditya Rawat (not out) 45, Janmejay c sub (Aneesh) b Vidyadhar 11; Extras (b-2, lb-4, nb-1, w-2): 9; Total (in 88.5 overs): 233.
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-37, 3-61, 4-81, 5-124, 6-153, 7-162, 8-171, 9-175.
Karnataka bowling: Vidyadhar 15.5-3-40-3, Prasidh 18-2-62-1, Vyshak 17-2-45-3, Shikhar 24-10-39-1, Shreyas 14-4-41-2.
Karnataka — 2nd innings: Mayank Agarwal c Saurabh b Abhay 21, Kruthik Krishna lbw b Avneesh 52, Shreyas Gopal lbw b Mayank 0, Karun Nair c Suchith b Abhay 8, R. Smaran c Raichandani b Suchith 127, K.L. Rahul (batting) 70, Vidyadhar Patil c Aditya b Mayank 7; Extras (b-8, lb-2, nb-3, w-1): 14; Total (for six wkts. successful 63.5 overs): 299.
Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-40, 3-59, 4-122, 5-290, 6-299.
Uttarakhand bowling: Abhay 15-7-53-2, Janmejay 9-0-54-0, Mayank 12.5-1-57-2, Avneesh 12-1-50-1, Suchith 12-0-59-1, Aditya 2-0-13-0, Raichandani 1-0-3-0.
