Punjab zoom ahead after 21-wicket day

Punjab 206 (Yuvraj 49, Chandrasekar 3-43) and 36 for 1 lead Tamil Nadu 68 (Rajwinder 6-29) by 174 runs
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Twenty-one wickets tumbled on day one in Dindgul, with Punjab claiming a vital first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu, thanks to a six-wicket haul from the left-arm spinner Rajwinder Singh. Both teams entered the match facing a must-win situation, so unless Tamil Nadu can turn around a 138-run deficit to win outright, last season's Ranji finalists will have to brace for an early end to their campaign.

Punjab, who can seal qualification with victory, began their innings shakily, falling to 70 for 4 inside 20 overs. Yuvraj Singh chipped in with a handy 49, and Brainder Sran, the No.9 batsman, made 33, but Tamil Nadu plucked away with wickets at regular intervals to bowl Punjab out for 206. The hosts, though, failed to build on their relative position of strength, folding for 68, as Rajwinder (6 for 29) ran through the line-up in 23.4 overs. With a massive lead in hand, Punjab extended their advantage to 174 runs by stumps. The team was 36 for 1 in their second innings.

Madhya Pradesh 261 for 9 (Harpreet 81, Rameez 73*, Ayyapa 5-59) v Andhra
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Madhya Pradesh grounded their way to 261 for 9 against Andhra in Indore, thanks to half-centuries from Harpreet Singh and Rameez Khan. MP were precariously placed at 92 for 4 before Harpreet and Rameez rescued the innings with a 105-run partnership. Harpreet eventually fell for a patient 81, but Rameez remained unbeaten on 73, with eight fours and a six. Rameez also received dogged support from the last batsman Ishwar Pandey, who stroked a 13-ball 20 before stumps. Bandaru Ayyapa was the pick of Andhra's bowlers, collecting 5 for 59, while Sneha Kishore took 3 for 85. MP still have a slim chance of qualifying, but need to win with a bonus point to leave no chances.

Baroda 242 for 5 (Rayudu 70*, Waghmode 56) v Uttar Pradesh
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Aditya Waghmode and Ambati Rayudu both stroked fifties to guide Baroda to 242 for 5 against Uttar Pradesh in Noida. Baroda lost their opener Kedar Devdhar in the first over of the match, but Waghmode (56) and Hardik Pandya (31) led a recovery with a 60-run partnership. After Waghmode fell, in the 35th over, the captain Rayudu took charge, scoring an unbeaten 70 and putting up vital stands with Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan to lift the team past the 200-run mark. UP and Baroda both need a bonus-point win to have any hope of qualifying, but even that may not be enough if Gujarat and Punjab win outright.

Mumbai 370 for 2 (Herwadkar 143, Yadav 103, Iyer 75) v Gujarat
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Mumbai, who have already booked a berth in the Ranji knockouts, enjoyed a day of batting domination against Gujarat at the Wankhede Stadium, as Akhil Herwadkar and Suryakumar Yadav both scored centuries to propel the team to 370 for 2. Mumbai began positively, with the openers Herwadkar and Jay Bista sharing a 74-run partnership. After Bista fell, Herwadkar added a further 100 runs with Shreyas Iyer, who blasted 75 off 69 balls, with 10 fours and a six. Iyer was eventually caught behind off Rush Kalaria, but Mumbai refused to give their opponents an opening, as Herwadkar and Yadav batted together for 50 overs to string together an unbroken stand of 196 runs. Herwadkar hit 16 fours and a six during his unbeaten 143, while Yadav's 103 not out featured nine fours and three sixes.