Devdutt Padikkal's stunning, unbeaten century propelled Karnataka to a thrilling five-wicket victory over Punjab at the IS Bindra Cricket Stadium in Mohali on February 1, 2026, securing their place in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals. In a must-win encounter, Karnataka chased down a target of 250 runs in a mere 27.5 overs, finishing with 27 points and edging out Saurashtra and Maharashtra to progress in the tournament.
Padikkal, the Karnataka skipper, led from the front with a brilliant 120* off just 85 balls, which included six fours and five sixes, maintaining a strike rate of 141.18. After KL Rahul's early dismissal on Day 4, Padikkal forged a crucial 113-run partnership with Mayank Agarwal, who contributed a brisk 53 off 36 balls. However, after Agarwal's dismissal, Karnataka lost a few quick wickets, slumping to 134/4. Shreyas Gopal then joined Padikkal, adding a quickfire 67 runs off 42 balls for the fifth wicket. After Gopal's departure, Vidyadhar Patil remained unbeaten on 14, providing the necessary support to Padikkal as they chased down the remaining runs. Anmoljeet Singh was the pick of the bowlers for Punjab, claiming three wickets.
Karnataka finished second in Elite Group B, behind Madhya Pradesh, with three wins out of seven matches. Their quarterfinal match is scheduled against Mumbai, who topped Elite Group D with 33 points, starting on February 6. Other teams that have qualified for the quarterfinals are Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.
Padikkal has been in excellent form this domestic season, and his recent century reaffirms his potential in red-ball cricket. In 51 First-Class games, the left-handed batter has amassed 3,328 runs at an average of 41.08, including eight centuries and 19 half-centuries. He also made his Test debut for India in 2024 and has one half-century to his name in the format.
In other matches, Vidarbha, the defending champions, were eliminated despite their win over Uttar Pradesh. Andhra and Jharkhand progressed from Group A based on a superior net run rate, while Bengal and Uttarakhand qualified from Group C.