Saurashtra, the defending champions, pulled off a miraculous win in Solapur to keep their knockout hopes alive.
Down and out at 69 for 8 in their second innings, with their lead just 112, they were revived by Jaydev Unadkat, the captain, and Chirag Jani, one of their premier allrounders, who made 45 and 43 respectively.
The ninth-wicket pair added 93 to help Saurashtra set Maharashtra a target of 213, which proved 48 too many. Left-arm spinner Parth Bhut sent Maharashtra on a tailspin by picking up 7 for 44, his fourth five-for in first-class cricket.
Seven Maharashtra batters got off to starts, but none managed more than Taranjitsingh Dhillon’s 28 at No. 7. The defeat sees Maharashtra languishing in the second half of the Group A table, while Saurashtra are closing in on the top three.
