In the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarterfinals, Devdutt Padikkal and Arshin Kulkarni each scored century.
Arshin Kulkarni and Devdutt Padikkal both scored centuries to help Maharashtra and Karnataka reach competitive totals in their Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) quarterfinal matches on Saturday. In the first quarterfinal, Maharashtra will face Punjab at Vadodara’s Kotambi Stadium, while Karnataka will play Baroda at Vadodara’s Moti Bagh Stadium. In the Maharashtra-Punjab match, Punjab won the toss and opted to field first. Maharashtra’s skipper and top batter, Ruturaj Gaikwad (5), and Siddhesh Veer (0), were both dismissed early, leaving them at 8/2. From there, Kulkarni and Ankit Bawne (60 off 85 balls, seven fours) formed a solid 145-run partnership for the third wicket. Kulkarni had a superb knock, hitting 107 off 137 balls, including 14 fours.
Down the order, a half-century from Nikhil Naik (52* off 29 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Satyajeet Bachhav (20* off 15 balls, with a four and a six) drove Maharashtra to 275/6, courtesy of a 63-run seventh-wicket stand.
Arshdeep Singh (3/56) was Punjab’s top bowler in nine overs. Naman Dhir grabbed two wickets, and Abhishek Sharma claimed one.Baroda won the toss and bowled Karnataka first in the other game. Lukman Meriwala (1/65) interrupted Mayank Agarwal’s unstoppable run as he was removed for just six runs. But in one-day cricket, Padikkal continued to play poorly, scoring 133 runs for the second wicket alongside Aneesh KV (52 in 64 balls, four boundaries, and a six). In just 30 innings, Padikkal achieved his tenth List-A cricket century. In the format, he has eleven fifties as well.
In their 50 overs, the team reached 281/8 thanks to more valuable contributions down the order.
The leading bowlers for Baroda were Raj Limbani (3/47) and Atit Sheth (3/41 in eight overs).
Padikkal will play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), whereas Arshin Kulkarnil will represent Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
