Bad light, rain mar Punjab's innings

MOHALI: Rajasthan pacers continued to take advantage of the overcast conditions on the penultimate day of the Col C K Nayudu Trophy against Punjab, who were restricted to 105 for 5 before bad light stopped play at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium here on Friday.
The pace duo of SS Dhiwan (2 for 46) and Arafat Ajaz Khan (3 for 32) struck once each in the first and the second session, respectively and did not allow any of the Punjab batters to settle down.
Resuming the day at 32 for 3, Punjab lost Prabhsimran Singh (4) quite early in the morning session but the other overnight batsman Ramandeep Singh went about cautiously and was not affected by the interruptions caused by the weather.
Ramandeep guided his new batting partner in wicketkeeper Mayank Sidhu to take his time as the former neared a patient half century before being dismissed three runs shy of the landmark by Khan in the post-lunch session. Ramandeep's 47 came off 77 balls and comprised six hits to the fence.
Mayank, meanwhile, looked comfortable in the middle and went on to score 33 off 77 deliveries, belting five boundaries in the process before bad light forced play to be stopped immediately after the team break. At stumps, Mayank went back undefeated in the company of skipper Ikjot Singh Thind, who remained unbeaten on 6 runs.
With just a day left in the contest, a draw looks inevitable as the hosts still trail the visitors' first innings score of 250 by 145 runs.
Brief Scores
Rajasthan 1st innings 250 all out in 79 overs: SS Dhiwan 52, Deepak 48, RN Tomar 33; Abhinav Sharma 3/42, Gurwinder Bhullar 3/58, Ikjot Singh Thind 2/41
Punjab 1st innings 105 for 5 in 37 overs: Ramandeep Singh 47, Mayank Sidhu 33 not out; AA Khan 3/32, SS Dhiwan 2/46
Chandigarh vs Arunachal tie washed out
Chandigarh: The overnight rain in the Union Territory affected the third day's play of the Col CK Nayudu match between Chandigarh and Arunachal Pradesh at the Mahajan Cricket Ground (MCG), IT Park on Friday.
Not a single ball could be bowled on the penultimate day due to a wet outfield and both the sides preferred to remain indoors. On Thursday, Arunachal Pradesh were struggling at a precarious 130 for 6 in their first innings against the home side's massive score of 388 for 4 declared.