Karnataka thrashed minnows Mizoram by 137 runs to cruise to their fourth win on the trot and consolidate the position atop Group D in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 tournament here Monday.
Opting to bat, Karnataka toyed with the Mizoram attack to post a huge 242/4 in the stipulated 20 overs.
In reply, Mizoram were restricted to 105/6 with leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal claiming 4 for 8 from his four overs to hand his team a simple win at the Barabati Stadium.
Karnataka have 16 points from four matches, four points clear of Assam, who jumped to second spot following their stunning 26-run win over former champions Bengal at the Barabati Stadium.
At the DRIEMS Ground in Tangi on the outskirts of Cuttack, it was mayhem by the Karnataka batsmen.
First, Rohan Kadam (78 from 51 balls; 6x4, 3x6) and Mayank Agarwal (20 from 14 balls; 3x4) put on a 52-run opening stand in just 4.2 overs.
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After Agarwal departed, Karun Nair joined the party and plundered 71 off just 33 balls, smashing five sixes and an equal number of boundaries to set the tone.
Later skipper Manish Pandey struck 33 not out from 13 balls (3x4, 1x6) with Jagadeesha Suchith also finishing on a high with his eight ball 26 not out (3x4, 2x6).
At the Barabati Stadium, Sibsankar Roy hit a brilliant 83 off 53 balls (12x4, 1x6) to help Assam recover from 10/2 inside third over, following Ashok Dinda's double blow in successive overs.
Roy was eventually run out by Abhimanyu Easwaran but Riyan Parag's quickfire 52 from 47 balls ensured Assam reach a competitive 162/5.
Dinda finished with impressive figures of 4/17 but that did not help the cause as Bengal put up yet another sloppy batting display to suffer their second defeat.
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