Karnataka continues its winning momentum in Super League stage matches

A formidable Karnataka continued their winning streak in the Super League stages of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy after they trounced Delhi by 8 wickets in Group B match here Sunday. Earlier, Karnataka had beaten domestic giants Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh in their previous two Super League stage matches of the national T20 tournament.

It was an all-round show from Karnataka where right-arm medium pacer Koushik V shone with the ball and later Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair remained unbeaten as Karnataka chased the 110-run target with utmost ease. Karnataka bowlers justified their skipper's decision to invite Delhi to bat first at the Emerald Heights International School Ground.

Koushik (4-19) and leg-spinner K C Cariappa (3-15) wreaked havoc as Delhi was restricted to a meagre 109/9 in their 20 overs. Apart from Nitish Rana (37 off 29 balls) and Lalit Yadav (33 off 40 balls), no other Delhi batsman showed spine as Koushik and Cariappa rattled their top and middle order.

For Karnataka, medium pacer R Vinay Kumar (1-13) also played his role to perfection. Chasing 110, Karnataka lost in-form opener Rohan Kadam (0) in the second over after he was caught by rival skipper Ishant Sharma off pacer Navdeep Saini.

Wicket-keeper B R Sharath (26 off 15 balls) and ever dependable Agarwal (43 not out off 47 balls) added 32 for the second wicket, but then Sharath was run out by Subodh Bhati. Then Karun Nair, who has a triple hundred in Tests, joined Agarwal as the duo took Karnataka home with 4.3 overs to spare and in the process took the Delhi bowlers to task.

All Delhi bowlers, including test specialist Ishant Sharma (0-7), had an off day in the field. Brief Scores: At Emerald High School International Ground: Delhi 109/9 (Nitish Rana 37, Lalit Yadav 33; V Koushik 4-19, K C Cariappa 3-15) lost to Karnataka 112/2 (Mayank Agarwal 43 not out, Karun Nair 42 not out; Navdeep Saini 1-21) by 8 wickets.

Karnataka 4 points, Delhi 0 points.

(With inputs from agencies.)