Mumbai registered a commanding victory against Himachal Pradesh, defeating the hosts by an innings and 97 runs on Wednesday to claim their second straight bonus-point win in Elite Group D of the .
Having posted a massive first-innings total of 528 for eight declared, guided by Sarfaraz Khan’s 154 and Akash Anand’s 117, Mumbai rolled Himachal Pradesh over for 291 in their second attempt. Himachal Pradesh had previously been bundled out for just 140 in their opening innings, granting Mumbai an immense 388-run lead.
Right-arm fast bowler Mohit Avasthi led the bowling attack for Mumbai, capturing impressive figures of 5/44, while Tushar Deshpande and bagged two wickets each. Sylvester D’Souza also chipped in with a wicket.
Resuming Day Four at 144 for three, Himachal Pradesh saw brief resilience from captain Pukhraj Mann (50) and Vaibhav Kalta (63). Although both batters brought up half-centuries, the home team collapsed shortly after without offering further resistance.
The comprehensive result took the back to the summit of the group standings with 14 points from two games, following their innings-and-155-run win over Chandigarh in the opening round.
Railways hold on for draw against Rajasthan
Elsewhere in Jaipur, hosts Rajasthan were forced to settle for three points after drawing against Railways, who reached 174 for two after being made to follow on.
Railways were bowled out for 338 in their first innings after Rajasthan amassed 497, conceding a substantial 159-run lead. Starting the final day at 305 for six, Railways were eventually dismissed before being asked to bat again. In their second innings, Railways salvaged a draw through an unbeaten 103 off 118 balls from Mohammad Saif (featuring eight boundaries and four sixes) alongside Eshaan Goyal’s undefeated 57.
Brief scores:
In Bilaspur: Himachal Pradesh 140 & 291 in 99.1 overs (Pukhraj Mann 50, Vaibhav Kalta 63; Mohit Awasti 5/44) lost to Mumbai 528/8 declared by an innings and 97 runs. Points: Mumbai 7, Himachal Pradesh 0.
In Jaipur: Rajasthan 497 drew with Railways 338 in 127 overs (Eshaan Goyal 64, Bhargav Merai 73, Ravi Singh 53, Toufik Mondal 53 not out; Kukna Ajay Singh 4/106) & 174/2 in 46 overs (Eshaan Goyal 57, Mohammad Saif 103 not out; Chetan Sharma 1/8). Points: Rajasthan 3, Railways 1.