Aman Mokhade ton sends Vidarbha to VHT final

A century by opener Aman Mokhade helped Vidarbha beat Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final. In a repeat of last year's final, Vidarbha chased down Karnataka's 280 with 22 balls to spare.

Vidarbha started poorly, losing Atharva Taide early for 6. Mokhade was cautious, making only 10 from 26 balls in the powerplay, while Dhruv Shorey hit a couple of boundaries. The run rate remained below 4 even after 16 overs. Mokhade broke free with a six off Vyshak Vijaykumar and reached his fifty.

Abhilash Shetty broke the partnership, but Mokhade, now in his element, scored freely. Ravikumar Samarth provided steady support. Mokhade completed his century in the 35th over and continued to attack, putting Vidarbha in control. He fell for 138, but Samarth finished unbeaten on 76 to seal the win.

Earlier, Devdutt Padikkal's rare failure saw him dismissed for 4 by Yash Thakur. Mayank Agarwal also fell early, leaving Karnataka reliant on Karun Nair and Krishnan Shrijith. They built a century partnership, with both scoring half-centuries, taking Karnataka to 187/3 after 33 overs.

Darshan Nalkande turned the game by removing Nair and dismantling the middle order. Shreyas Gopal's 39 and late sixes from Vijaykumar helped Karnataka reach 280. Nalkande finished with 5/48, playing a crucial role in the outcome.

Brief scores: Karnataka 280 in 49.4 overs (Karun Nair 76, Krishnan Shrijith 54; Darshan Nalkande 5/48) lost to Vidarbha 284/4 in 46.2 overs (Aman Mokhade 138, Ravikumar Samarth 76*; Abhilash Shetty 3/48) by 6 wickets.