Former champions Karnataka finished their Ranji Trophy league engagements on a rousing note by whipping hosts Maharashtra by an innings and 129 runs to end up fourth in Group A in Ratnagiri on Friday.

Medium pacer Vinay Kumar and veteran left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi grabbed six and four wickets respectively to rout Maharashtra, who trailed the visitors by 269 runs in the first innings, for a paltry 140 in the second.

The home team, staring a massive defeat in the face last evening when they were reduced to 18 for three, were shot out in only three hours by the pace-spin combination of Vinay Kumar, who claimed 6 for 38 for a 10-wicket match-haul, and Joshi (4 for 18).

Skipper Venugopal Rao, who top-scored with 56 with seven fours and two sixes before being eighth out, ploughed a lone furrow for Maharashtra and was given some support by Yogesh Takawale (39).

The duo joined forces at 39 for four, when opener Harshad Khadiwale (12) departed this morning, and offered some resistance by adding 68 runs before Takawale was dismissed by Joshi after a 75-minute stay which contained one six and six fours.

The innings went into a terminal decline thereafter with Vinay Kumar and Joshi sharing the spoils.

The massive victory earned Karnataka six points to boost their tally to 16, one better than Maharashtra who finished fifth in the eight-team group behind Delhi, Saurashtra, Mumbai and Karnataka, but above Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.

Scorecard

Maharashtra (1st innings): 276

Karnataka (1st innings): 545

Maharashtra (2nd innings)(overnight 18-3)
H Khadiwale c Joshi b Vinay Kumar 12
A Bawne b Vinay Kumar 0
A Joshi b Vinay Kumar 0
A Shrikhande lbw Vinay Kumar 0
Y Venugopal Rao c Raghu b Vinay Kumar 56
Y Takawale c Pawan b S Joshi 39
D Mohan c Vinay Kumar b S Joshi 0
S Jadhav lbw S Joshi 4
A Dole c Verma b Vinay Kumar 12
W Sayyed c Chipli b S Joshi 3
S Fallah not out 0
Extras (b 5, lb 6, nb 3) 14

Total (all out, in 40.1 overs) 140

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-9, 3-13, 4-39, 5-107, 6-107, 7-125, 8-125, 9-140

Bowling: Vinay Kumar 13-3-38-6, Aiyappa 10-2-40-0, S Joshi 10.1-5-18-4, Raghu 4-0-20-0, Chipli 3-0-13-0.