A day of shifting momentum at the scenic ACA Stadium in Mulapadu saw Hyderabad take early control in its Ranji Trophy 2026-27 clash with Andhra, only for the home side to claw its way back after lunch.

Tanmay Agarwal got the match going, using the pace of the ball to flick one to the boundary. He and Abhirath Reddy absorbed early pressure while keeping the scoreboard moving with well-timed fours. Hyderabad reached 50 in 14 overs, 32 of them coming in boundaries.

Abhirath accelerated after drinks, finding the gaps with ease and bringing up his half-century in 73 balls as Andhra’s bowlers struggled to make a dent. The breakthrough came against the run of play, when Tanmay’s attempted sweep landed in Abhishek Reddy’s hands.

Lunch was taken with Hyderabad firmly on top, but Andhra returned a transformed side. Whatever head coach Gary Stead said during the break worked almost instantly: Abhirath’s mistimed drive found Ricky Bhui, handing Saurabh Kumar his second wicket.

From there on, wickets fell at regular intervals. Saurabh sent back Rahul Singh for his third, and Tripurana Vijay removed the explosive K. Himateja. Hyderabad arrested the bleed briefly, with a 53-run stand between Pragnay Reddy and Rahul Radesh.

But Lalith Mohan eagerly played spoilsport right before tea, beating Pragnay with turn to take a bail off. C.V. Milind fell soon after Hyderabad crossed 200.

A handful of fans made their way to the fences and stood by to welcome Mohammed Siraj, a regional darling even if as the visiting captain in this game. He made it worth their while with a well-timed six over long off. Radesh, meanwhile, held firm and reached a patient 103-ball half-century before running out of partners.

Abhishek and Hemanth Reddy then negotiated two overs without trouble, leaving Andhra with the upper hand at stumps.

The scores: Hyderabad — 1st innings: Tanmay Agarwal c Abhishek b Saurabh 42, Abhirath Reddy c Bhui b Saurabh 67, Rahul Singh c Hemanth b Saurabh 20, K. Himateja c Bhui b Vijay 10, Pragnay Reddy b Lalith 31, Rahul Radesh (not out) 58, C.V. Milind lbw b Lalith 1, Aniketh Reddy c Rahul b Vijay 9, Tanay Thyagarajann c Revanth b Vijay 14, Ruthik Yadav b Vijay 7, Mohammed Siraj c Revanth b Lalith 6; Extras (b-5, lb-3, nb-2): 10; Total (in 86 overs): 275.

Fall of wickets: 1-109, 2-120, 3-133, 4-141, 5-194, 6-200, 7-211, 8-245, 9-253.

Andhra bowling: Saiteja 7-2-18-0, Lalith 22-3-78-3, Sasikanth 4-3-6-0, Vijay 27-5-90-4, Saurabh 26-6-75-3.

Andhra 1st innings: Hemanth Reddy (batting) 4, Abhishek Reddy (batting) 5; Total (for no wkts. in two overs): 9.

Hyderabad bowling: Tanay 1-0-4-0, Aniketh 1-0-5-0.

Toss: Hyderabad.

Published – October 18, 2026 06:19 pm IST

Karnataka ended day one of its 2026-27 Ranji Trophy opener against Andhra on top after scoring 274 and reducing the host to 16 for two at the ACA Stadium in Mulapadu near here on Sunday.

The hero for the visitors was R. Smaran, who marked his senior Karnataka captaincy debut with a splendid century (126, 218b, 11×4, 1×6), rescuing his side from a precarious 22 for four.

Nestled amidst the hills, the Mulapadu ground is picturesque. But under hot conditions and stagnant late-summer air, it resembled a furnace.

Yet, Smaran batted for nearly five-and-a-half hours and did not give Andhra even a sniff until he was out late in the day.

After heavyweights K.L. Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair fell cheaply owing to some good bowling and not-so-good batting, Smaran combined for a 111-run partnership for the fifth wicket with wicket-keeper batter K.L. Shrijith (58, 82b, 3×4, 3×6).

Shrijith was the more expansive batter, coming up with an array of reverse-sweeps and a stand-out acrobatic six over mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar.

After his dismissal, Karnataka wobbled again, down to 174 for seven. However, Smaran batted superbly with the tail, stitching a 59-run association with debutant Madhav Bajaj (33, 53b, 2×4, 1×6) and 41 runs with Shikhar Shetty (13, 38b, 2×4).

The 23-year-old brought up his eighth First Class century with a punched four off left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan, a carbon copy of the shot with which he had begun his innings.

When he was eventually castled by Lalith while attempting a pull, he threw the bat up in the air in disappointment. But the sadness did not linger long as his spinners pegged Andhra back.

Leggie Shreyas Gopal missed out owing to dehydration and left-arm tweaker Madhav — one of three debutants along with Manvanth Kumar and Ritesh Bhatkal — was drafted into the XI.

After Shikhar struck first ball, having Hemanth Reddy caught at cover by Smaran, Madhav forced T. Vijay to edge to Rahul at slip. Can the away side drive home the advantage?

The scores: Karnataka — 1st innings: K.L. Rahul c Revanth b Sasikanth 4, Mayank Agarwal b Saiteja 5, K.V. Aneesh c Bhui b Saiteja 0, Karun Nair lbw b Sasikanth 8, R. Smaran b Lalith 126, K.L. Shrijith lbw b Saurabh 58, Manvanth Kumar lbw b Saurabh 13, Ritesh Bhatkal b Vijay 6, Madhav Bajaj b Lalith 33, Shikhar Shetty c Revanth b Saurabh 13, Abhilash Shetty (not out) 0; Extras (b-5, lb-2, nb-1): 8; Total (in 82.2 overs): 274.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-9, 3-9, 4-22, 5-133, 6-165, 7-174, 8-233, 9-274.

Andhra bowling: Saiteja 8-3-20-2, Sasikanth 5-2-10-2, Vijay 25-5-71-1, Lalith 22-1-87-2, Saurabh 19.2-1-69-3, Hemanth 3-0-10-0.

Andhra — 1st innings: Hemanth Reddy c Smaran b Shikhar 1, Abhishek Reddy (batting) 10, T. Vijay c Rahul b Madhav 4, Shaik Rasheed (batting) 1; Total (for two wkts in five overs): 16.

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-10.

Karnataka bowling: Abhilash 1-0-5-0, Shikhar 2-0-8-1, Madhav 2-0-3-1.

Toss: Karnataka.

Published – October 11, 2026 08:25 pm IST