Ranji Trophy: Rains cause draw between UP & Odisha

Kanpur: Cyclonic rains forced the Ranji Trophy match between Uttar Pradesh and Odisha at Green Park stadium to end in a draw on Tuesday, denying UP an outright victory. UP, who held a first-innings lead, collected three points, taking their total to six from two outings. Odisha settled for one point and remained on one point after two matches.On Tuesday morning, UP declared their first innings at 409 for 6, stretching their lead to 166 runs. They then batted for two overs, adding 29 runs without loss, in an attempt to force a result. Play was halted at 2:49 pm due to bad light, by which time Odisha were 151 for 3 in their second innings, still trailing by 15 runs. Both captains agreed that a result was no longer possible and called off the match.Cyclonic rains had already restricted play to just 42 overs on Monday. Despite UP's early declaration, poor light and weather conditions prevented further progress, resulting in a draw.UP coach Arvind Kapoor said, "It was our bad luck. I had hoped to collect at least six points from this match, but the weather ditched us. We batted well. Karan and Aaradhya scored centuries and showed great form. Let's hope fortune smiles on us in the next game."Earlier in the day, UP captain Karan Sharma declared at 409 for 6, with Vipraj Nigam unbeaten on 31 and Shivam Mavi on 12. UP's bowlers struck early as Shivam Mavi dismissed Ashirvad Swain (23) and Sandeep Pattanaik (5), reducing Odisha to 55 for 2. By lunch, the visitors were 68 for 2, with Aashirvad Swain caught by Madhav Kaushik and Sandeep Pattanaik held by Prashant Veer.After lunch, Kunal Tyagi trapped Subhranshu Senapati (11) leg before wicket, leaving Odisha 79 for 3. Opener Swastik Samal and Govinda Poddar then added an unbeaten 72-run stand for the fourth wicket before play was stopped. Samal remained not out on 71 off 113 balls with eight fours and a six, while Poddar was unbeaten on 38 off 72 balls with five boundaries.Brief Score:Odisha: 243 & 151/3 (Swastik Samal 71, Aashirvad Swain 23, Subhranshu Senapati 11, Govinda Poddar 38, Shivam Mavi 2/32, Kunal Tyagi 1/45)Uttar Pradesh: 409/6 decl. (overnight 380/6; Vipraj Nigam 31, Shivam Mavi 12; Sambit S. Baral 3/52, Badal 1/91, Sumit Sharma 1/95).