Hyderabad XI won the spin of the coin after inclement weather cut short the intriguing Buchi Babu semifinal against Karnataka XI at the IC-Guru Nanak ground here on Wednesday.
In the finals starting on Friday, Hyderabad will meet Combined Districts, which overcame Assam by seven wickets in the other semifinal at Chepauk.
Pursuing 247, Karnataka was 225 for nine in 78.2 overs when rain ended the contest.
For Hyderabad, skipper Pragyan Ojha claimed five for 67 in 32 overs. Karnataka’s Thilak Naidu remained unbeaten on a fighting 72 (166b, 8x4).
The pace-spin combination of S.M. Shoaib and Ojha worked well for Hyderabad. Shoaib, both, contained and struck. The lanky paceman picked up three for 36 in 21 tight overs.
Left-armer Ojha trapped the in-form Amit Varma (36) leg-before and prised out the big-hitting Stuart Binny (13).
The fifth-wicket partnership of 65 between Naidu and Varma was the highest of the Karnataka innings.
Naidu batted with a fine blend of caution and aggression to keep his side in the hunt.
Eventually, Hyderabad had the rub of the green.
Arun Karthik scores century
Combined Districts registered a seven-wicket win over Assam in the other semifinal at MAC, overhauling the 268 target in 65.3 overs, a few minutes before tea, principally through K.B. Arun Karthik’s 124 (160 balls, 4x6, 5x4).
Districts began well, reaching 60 for the loss of opener Thalaivan Sargunam, and sat pretty on 125 for one in 36 overs at the stroke of lunch.
Arun Karthik and R. Srinivasan added 102 runs in 29.1 overs for the second wicket, taking the score to 162 before the latter top-edged offie Arnel Konwar straight to point.
Arun Karthik continued to impress and brought up his century in 128 balls with a huge six off Konwar. Suresh Kumar also picked Konwar for special treatment, punching him through the covers for four and swinging one over mid-off to bring up the 200 for his team in the 54th over.
Arun Karthik holed out to a slower one from left-armer Parvez Aziz, but Suresh (55 not out) maintained the tempo and, in the company of all-rounder K. Sriram, rattled up 56 runs in 55 balls for an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership that took Combined Districts home.
The bowling was nothing to shout home about for Assam with Parvez Aziz, Arnel Konwar, and medium pacer Pritam Das picking up a wicket each.
The scores: Hyderabad XI 246 vs Karnataka XI 225 for nine in 78.2 overs (Thilak Naidu 72 not out, Pragyan Ojha five for 67). Match unfinished; Hyderabad declared winner by toss of coin.
Assam 267 in 87.5 overs lost to Combined Districts 270 for three in 65.3 overs (K.B. Arun Karthik 124, Suresh Kumar 55 n.o.).
