Gugale ton helps Maharashtra dominate Mumbai

PUNE: Maharashtra opener Swapnil Gugale slammed a century as the hosts powered their way to 298 for 3 against Mumbai on the opening day of their elite division Ranji Trophy Group A game on Thursday.

Put in to bat at the MCA International Stadium in Gahunje on the outskirts of the city, Gugale (101) and his opening partner Chirag Khurana (71) laid a solid foundation with a 146run partnership.

The two batsmen, with their effective stroke play, made life difficult for Mumbai bowlers, who missed the experience of key pacers Dhawal Kulkarni and Tushar Deshpande, both out with injuries.

The 27-year-old Gugale laced his innings with 15 fours in a 191ball knock, while Khurana notched 12 in his 106-ball stay at the wicket.

After Khurana fell, one-down Jay Pande (68 not out) joined Gugale as the two shared a 52-run stand.

But soon after completing his fourth first class century, Puneborn Gugale was cleaned up by right-arm medium pacer Shubham Ranjane (2/30).

Skipper Rahul Tripathi (25 not out) was holding the fort with Pande at stumps.

Meanwhile, at Vadodara, Baroda bowled out Chhattisgarh for a paltry 129 and then overhauled the total to be 36 ahead by close.

At Rajkot, Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Shah, who is playing his last match, led from the front, scoring a valiant 97 as the hosts managed to post 288 for 9 against Karnataka.

At Valsad, Piyush Chawla slammed an unbeaten century to take hosts Gujarat to 340 for 8 against Railways.

Gujarat skipper Priyank Panchal also proved his mettle by scoring a valuable 69.