Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25: Devdutt Padikkal fires Karnataka into finals

Four-time champions Karnataka secured their place in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 final with a brilliant five-wicket victory over Haryana in the first semifinal at the Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, on January 15. 

Devdutt Padikkal was the star of the show, anchoring Karnataka's chase with an 86 off 113 balls. The southpaw laced his innings with eight boundaries and one six and formed a crucial stand with Ravichandran Smaran. His partnership of 128 runs with Smaran, who remained unbeaten on 76 off 94 balls, was key in Karnataka's pursuit of the 238-run target. Padikkal, who was coming off a brilliant knock in the quarter-finals, continued his fine form, smashing his seventh consecutive fifty-plus score in List A cricket.

The chase began on a poor note with skipper Mayank Agarwal departing for a duck. However, Padikkal and Smaran steadied the ship and got the side back in the game. Although Haryana struck back with three quick wickets, reducing Karnataka to 225/5, Shreyas Gopal (23* off 20) and Abhinav Manohar ensured there were no further hiccups, taking the team home with 16 balls to spare.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka’s decision to bowl first was right as left-arm seamer Abhilash Shetty delivered a brilliant performance. The young bowler claimed 4/34 in his 10 overs, dismantling Haryana’s middle and lower order. Shetty’s efforts triggered a collapse that saw Haryana lose five wickets for just 57 runs.

Haryana’s innings saw contributions from skipper Ankit Kumar (48) and Himanshu Rana (44) stitching a 70-run partnership. However, the team could only manage 237/9 in their 50 overs, as Prasidh Krishna and Shreyas Gopal chipped in with two wickets each to restrict the opposition.

With this win, Karnataka overcame their semifinal jinx, entering the final after three defeats in their last four attempts at this phase. Padikkal was awarded Player of the Match for his batting and fielding, which included three catches. Karnataka will now meet the winner of the second semifinal between Vidarbha and Maharashtra.