Ranji Trophy: KL Rahul's fifty, standout spells from Mavi, Akash Deep highlights on day 2

New Delhi [India], January 30 (ANI): Standout performances from KL Rahul, Shivam Mavi, Siddesh Lad and Akash Deep were the highlights of day two of the latest round of action from the Ranji Trophy on Friday.
Starting off with the Elite Group A clash between defending champions Vidarbha and Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha resumed action on day two at 33/0 after UP was skittled out for 237 after the latter opted to bat first. In response to the first innings six-fer by skipper Harsh Dubey, Mavi pulled off an incredible spell for UP, collecting 7/59 in his 18 overs and packing Vidarbha for 237 runs too.
For Vidarbha, Danish Malewar (80 in 117 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and Nachiket Bhute (63 in 85 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) slammed important fifties for their side to keep themselves afloat. UP ended the day at 75/2, with skipper Aryan Juyal (35*) and Aaditya Sharma (25*) unbeaten, giving them a lead.
Shifting focus to Group B action in Indore between Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, Maharashtra had ended the day one at 52/2 in reply to MP's 187 all out after the latter elected to bat first. Kumar Kartikeya (6/33) bamboozled Maharashtra with a brilliant six-fer. Ruturaj Gaikwad (46 in 69 balls, with four boundaries and a six) was the top scorer for Maharashtra as they were bundled out for just 179 runs, trailing by eight runs.
MP ended the day two with a lead of 174 runs, at 166/4, with Venkatesh Iyer (60 in 60 balls, with nine fours) and Shubham Sharma (55 in 120 balls, with six fours) striking fine fifties.
In another Group B clash between Punjab and Karnataka at Mohali, KL Rahul (59 in 87 balls, with nine fours) was the standout for Karnataka as they ended their day trailing by 54 runs in reply to Punjab's 309 all out. Mayank Agarwal (46 in 64 balls, with six fours) failed to convert his start into something big, while skipper Devdutt Padikkal and Ravichandran Smaran fell in single digits, with Harpreet Brar (4/101) being the leading force for Punjab with the ball. Emanjot Singh Chahal (83) and Abhijeet Garg (81) put Punjab in front after they opted to bat first, with Vidyadhar Patil (4/52) being the pick of the bowlers for Karnataka.
Coming to the Group B action between Bengal and Haryana, Bengal was 168/5 to start off the day, but was skittled out for just 193 runs, with Sudip Chatterjee (86 in 211 balls, with six fours) being the top-scorer. Haryana was skittled out for just 100 runs, with Akash Deep (5/40) and Shahbaz Ahmed (5/42) sharing five wickets each. Bengal ended the day at 155/3, with skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran (61 in 125 balls, with six fours) and Sudip Kumar Gharami (61 in 74 balls, with six fours and two sixes) scoring fifties and taking Bengal to a 248-run lead.
Shifting focus to Group D, Hyderabad ended the first day at 56/0 to Chhattisgarh's 283 all out, in which pacer Mohammed Siraj had taken four wickets. Abhirath Reddy (121 in 186 balls, with 16 fours and a six) and Kodimela Himateja (125* in 207 balls, with 13 fours) scored brilliant centuries for Hyderabad, taking them to 415/4 at day's end and giving them a 132-run lead.
Coming to the Group D action between Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir at Nadaun, J&K had ended the day one at 20/0 in reply to HP's 168 all out, in which Sunil Kumar (5/55) took a five-wicket haul. J&K had incredible contributions from Shubham Pundir (165 in 311 balls, with 19 fours and a six), skipper Paras Dogra (52 in 83 balls, with seven fours), Abdul Samad (61 in 82 balls, with three fours and a six) and Kanhaiya Wadhawan (56* in 51 balls, with four boundaries and a six) as J&K ended the day at 387/5, leading by 219 runs.
In the marquee clash between Mumbai and Delhi, Mumbai had ended day one at 13/1 after Delhi was all out for 221 after being put to bat first, with Sanat Sangwan (118) scoring a lone-warrior ton. For Mumbai, skipper Siddhesh Lad (102* in 178 balls, with 12 fours), Musheer Khan (57 in 114 balls, with seven fours) and Suved Parkar (53* in 111 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) helped Mumbai end the day at 286/5, with a lead of 45 runs. (ANI)