Mumbai captain Prithvi Shaw had already scored 227 not out, a record in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, in a league match against Puducherry. In the quarter-final, he got 185 not out against Saurashtra. And here, in the semi-final, he slammed 165 to take Mumbai to 322 at the Palam A Ground, New Delhi. Karnataka came out all guns blazing in response but failed to keep wickets in hand. They folded for 250.
The only unbeaten side in the tournament, Mumbai will face Uttar Pradesh in the final on the 14th, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the same city.
Shaw’s innings came off just 122 balls. Such was his dominance that by the time he fell, in the 41st over, Mumbai had progressed to only 243. At this point they were in a spot of bother, having lost Shams Mulani (45) and Shaw in the space of 7 balls and 2 runs. But Shivam Dube (27 in 24 balls) and Aman Hakim Khan (25 in 18) kept the tempo going. Mumbai lost wickets in a heap towards the end against Vijaykumar Vyshak (4-56) and Prasidh Krishna (3-64), but they kept the run rate over six.
Karnataka’s hopes rested on Devdutt Padikkal, who came into the match with four consecutive hundreds under his belt. He got a run-a-ball 64, but was the only one in the top four to reach double figures. At 97/4 in the 20th over, Karnataka seemed to have lost their way. Karun Nair (29) and Shreyas Gopal (33) got runs, but not quickly enough.
A much-needed onslaught came from Krishnappa Gowtham, who hit three sixes in his 14-ball 28. Wicketkeeper BR Sharath (61 in 39 balls) took charge once Gowtham fell, but he ran out of partners. Karnataka crashed to defeat in the 43rd over.
Brief scores:
Mumbai 322 in 49.2 overs (Prithvi Shaw 165; Vijaykumar Vyshak 4-56, Prasidh Krishna 3-64) beat Karnataka 250 in 42.4 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 64, BR Sharath 61; Tanush Kotian 2-23) by 72 runs. Player of the Match: Prithvi Shaw.