Karnataka, the defending champions, have secured their place in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-finals for the fourth consecutive year, triumphing over Mumbai by 54 runs through the VJD method on Monday. With the tournament’s top scorer, Devdutt Padikkal, scoring an unbeaten 81 off 95 deliveries and seasoned Indian batsman Karun Nair contributing an impressive 74 not out off 80 balls, Karnataka was comfortably positioned at 187-1 in 33 overs while chasing a target of 255 when rain interrupted the game. At that moment, the VJD par score was set at 132, and with Karnataka leading by 55 runs, they were declared the winners. Earlier, Mumbai, missing their pace bowler Tushar Deshpande for personal reasons, faced a significant setback when star batsman Sarfaraz Khan, who had accumulated 303 runs at an average of 75.75, was sidelined after injuring his finger during practice. In his absence, Mumbai managed only 254-8, with Shams Mulani standing out as he scored a commendable 86. The VJD method, a mathematical formula for adjusting targets in rain-affected limited-overs matches, was developed by V Jayadevan, a civil engineer from Kerala. This alternative to the DLS method has been utilized in domestic competitions across India since 2007.
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