New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) Karnataka, Vidarbha and Goa registered commanding victories by an innings, while Uttarakhand opened their account with a comprehensive 10-wicket win as the third day of the ongoing third round of the Ranji Trophy 2026 concluded on Wednesday.

Karnataka produced a clinical all-round performance to defeat Assam by an innings and 314 runs in their Elite Group B encounter in Guwahati, wrapping up the contest with more than a day to spare. The eight-time champions collected seven points, including a bonus point, to move to the top of the group standings with 16 points.

Resuming their first innings at 496/5, Karnataka continued their dominance as they declared at 577/6, establishing a massive lead of 442 runs. Assam’s batting lineup had little answer to Karnataka’s spin attack, with Shreyas Gopal claiming four wickets for 39 runs and Shikhar Shetty returning figures of 3/28 to bowl the hosts out for 128 in 40.2 overs.

Earlier, Manvanth Kumar’s unbeaten century had provided the foundation for Karnataka’s imposing first-innings total.

Uttarakhand also registered their first victory of the season, defeating Haryana by 10 wickets in their Elite Group D clash at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy Ground in Dehradun.

After posting 305 in their first innings, Uttarakhand bowled Haryana out for 153, with Mayank Mishra picking up six wickets for 57 runs. Haryana’s Nishant Sindhu had earlier claimed 5/89 for the visitors.

Forced to follow on, Haryana managed 159 in their second innings, with Jagadeesha Suchith taking four wickets for 50 runs. The hosts were left with a target of just nine runs, which they chased down in 1.2 overs without losing a wicket. Dega Nischal’s 153 off 387 deliveries was the standout contribution in Uttarakhand’s first innings.

Vidarbha completed an innings-and-20-run victory over Madhya Pradesh after producing a dominant bowling performance across both innings. Having dismissed Madhya Pradesh for 209 in their first innings, Vidarbha posted 334/9 before declaring their innings.

The visitors struggled once again in their second innings and were dismissed for just 105. Harsh Dubey was the standout performer, taking nine wickets in the first innings, while Dubey and Parth Rekhade claimed five wickets apiece in the second to seal the victory.

Goa joined the list of teams registering innings victories after defeating Bihar by an innings and 177 runs. Goa built their commanding position with a first-innings total of 397 before bowling Bihar out for 107.

Following on, Bihar failed to put up a stronger fight and were dismissed for 113 in their second innings, handing Goa a comprehensive victory.

Meanwhile, Mumbai strengthened their position against Railways, with a 141-run opening partnership between Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Divyaansh Saxena taking their second-innings lead beyond 300 runs.

Raghuvanshi scored 79 before falling, while Tushar Deshpande, Suryansh Shedge and Musheer Khan also departed cheaply as Mumbai lost a cluster of wickets during the final half-hour of play. Off-spinner Tanush Kotian had earlier delivered an impressive performance with figures of 7/45 for Mumbai, leaving Railways with a difficult task on the final day.

In the encounter between Delhi and Services, the latter held a 202-run lead at the close of play on Day 3. Delhi made an encouraging start with the ball, picking up two wickets in the first five overs, but Mohit Ahlawat’s impressive 142-run knock helped Services recover and strengthen their position.

With only one day remaining, the contest appears to be heading towards a draw, with Delhi facing an uphill task to force a result.

Bengal and Maharashtra also witnessed an eventful day, with Mohammed Shami’s four-wicket haul helping Bengal dismiss Maharashtra for 218. Bengal, however, lost four wickets in their second innings and reached 76/4 at stumps, holding a slender one-run lead. Play was curtailed due to bad light.

In the Gujarat-Kerala fixture, Gujarat enforced the follow-on after dismissing Kerala for 279 in their first innings. Kerala ended the day at 31/1 in their second innings, still facing a considerable deficit.

Odisha remained in a difficult position against Jharkhand after the latter declared their first innings at 433/8. Having recovered from an early collapse, Jharkhand built a substantial total and left Odisha with a deficit of 410 runs. Odisha reached 23/0 at stumps and will need a significant effort on the final day to avoid defeat.

Hyderabad also face a challenging task against Chhattisgarh, needing another 246 runs to win after being set a target of 259. Hyderabad were 13/2 at stumps, having lost both their opening batters for ducks in the first over.

Punjab continued to hold the upper hand against Andhra, who reached 240/2 at the end of the day while chasing Punjab’s first-innings total of 529/9 declared. Andhra still trail by 352 runs, with Shaik Rasheed and Karan Shinde leading their efforts to reduce the deficit.

In another closely contested fixture, Saurashtra were 131/7 while chasing 342 against Tripura. The visitors require another 211 runs for victory, with Sandip Sarkar’s four-wicket haul putting Tripura in a commanding position heading into the final day.

--IANS

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