Skipper Salman's fifty in vain, Kerala exit Uttarakhand Gold Cup in quarters

Kerala exited in the quarterfinals of the 42nd All India Uttarakhand Gold Cup Cricket Tournament, losing by five wickets to the Comptroller & Auditor General in a rain-hit match in Dehradun.

Kerala posted a decent 331/8 in 50 overs, with captain Salman Nizar (75) and Ahammed Imran (65) scoring half-centuries.

C&AG's target was revised to 201 runs in 24 overs following a rain delay. C&AG won with three balls to spare as per the VJD Method.

Openers Rohan S Kunnummal (45) and Krishna Prasad (22) gave Kerala a solid start, contributing 69 runs in 9.4 overs. Shoun Roger (44) and former skipper Mohammed Azharuddeen (40) made valuable contributions. For C&AG, Shubham Singh Pundir's unbeaten 82 off 54 proved crucial in the tight run chase.

Kerala were without a handful of their experienced bowlers, namely M D Nidheesh and K M Asif, who featured in the last Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is India's premier 50-over tournament.

Brief scores: Kerala 331/8 in 50 overs (Salman Nizar 75 not out, Ahammed Imran 65, Rohan S Kunnummal 45, Shoun Roger 44, Mohammed Azharuddeen 40, Sumit Mathur 2/36, Debabrata Pradhan 2/47, Mrinmoy Dutta 2/77) lost to C&AG 205/5 in 23.3 overs (Shubham Singh Pundir 82, Laksh T 30) by VJD Method.