He remained unbeaten at 120.
On Day 4 of Ranji Trophy 2025-26, Devdutt Padikkal smashed an unbeaten century to take Karnataka to the Super 8s. He remained unbeaten on 120 off 85 balls, while the team won by five wickets against Punjab at the I.S. Bindra Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali.
The captain fast-tracked his knock as the team raced to victory against Punjab. After completing his half-century, Padikkal scored some quick runs, while the batters continued to lose their wicket on the other end.
Mayank Agarwal was dismissed at 53, while Shreyas Gopal managed 33. Earlier, KL Rahul also lost his wicket for a low score of 13. Two other batters were out after singles.
The southpaw opener shone with six boundaries and five sixes to single-handedly win it for his team.
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Earlier in the first innings, Punjab were bundled out for 309, with Vidyadhar Patil’s four-fer and Shreyas Gopal also scalping three wickets. Half-centuries from KL Rahul and Gopal helped Karnataka take a minor lead of seven runs.
Despite captain Uday Saharan’s best efforts of a 93-run knock, Punjab fell at 256. Gopal starred again with three wickets, while M Prasidh also scalped three. Padikkal’s knock stood out in the fourth and final innings of the match, taking Karnataka to victory before the sun set.
With this win, the team reached 27 points in the Elite Group B points table and qualified for the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Super 8s. They are placed second, just below Madhya Pradesh, with 28 points. Despite three consecutive wins for Saurashtra, they missed the qualification by a meagre one point.
Karnataka will face Mumbai on February 6 for the 4th Quarter final. Reportedly, Shardul Thakur will resume captaincy for his side.
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