SMAT 2025-26: Padikkal hundred sets up Karnataka’s thumping win over Tamil Nadu; Tripura upsets Delhi
Devdutt Padikkal smashed a scintillating unbeaten 102 (46b, 10×4, 6×6) to propel Karnataka to its second-highest total of 245 for three, setting up a thumping 145-run victory over Tamil Nadu in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Elite Group-D fourth-round clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium B-Ground in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
If his knock had a centre of destruction, it was T. Natarajan. Padikkal plundered 45 from just 17 balls off the left-arm seamer, peppering him with four fours and three towering sixes. In a hundred laced with intent, the assault on Natarajan became the soundtrack.
Padikkal didn’t bother settling in. His first touch of the ball was violence in the guise of timing — a flick to midwicket off Natarajan that sailed out of the ground for a six. When Natarajan missed his yorkers, Padikkal sent him straight back over long-off and then flicked him over square-leg for two more sixes. When the length shifted short, Padikkal shifted modes — helping one over the keeper, pulling another to square leg, and guiding a third past short third man, all for fours. He even found the cover boundary with a rasping carve for good measure.
Playing his first match of the season, opener B.R. Sharath weighed in with a career-best 53 (23b, 4×4, 4×6), his second T20 fifty.
Later in the day, skipper Manisankar Murasingh’s all-round effort — an unbeaten 25 off 18 balls, and two for 19 in four overs — helped Tripura clinch an upset 12-run win over Delhi.
He provided a late flourish with the bat, cracking a lofted extra-cover four and a pulled midwicket six off Ayush Badoni in the final over to lift Tripura to a competitive 157 for five. With the ball, the medium-pacer struck early, removing the dangerous Priyansh Arya (8) in the third over when the batter slashed a wide delivery to third man. In the 19th over, he had Tejasvi Dahiya (23) mistime a pull off an off-cutter bouncer, holing out to the incoming long-on fielder.
WATCH: Vaibhav Suryavanshi century vs Maharashtra
Despite conceding a couple of wides, medium-pacer Indrajit Debnath still managed to defend 20 in the last over, as Anuj Rawat’s (16) on-side heave went straight to short third man.
Jharkhand beats Saurashtra
Skipper and opener Ishan Kishan followed up his unbeaten 113 off 50 balls against Tripura on Sunday with a blistering 93 off 50 balls (11×4, 3×6), guiding Jharkhand to an emphatic 84-run win over Saurashtra.
Published on Dec 02, 2025
