Kulkarni stars in Mumbai's 96-run win over Assam

Dhawal Kulkarni led a fine pace-bowling display with figures of 4 for 19 as Mumbai routed Assam by 96 runs in their Vizay Hazare Trophy one-day cricket match here today.
Kulkarni's pacemates Abhishek Nayar and Sagar Tivedi took three wickets apiece to help Mumbai bundle Assam -- chasing 199 for a win -- out for 102 runs in 35 overs at Railways Recreation Club Ground.
Batting first, Mumbai began strongly reaching 60 for 1 before suffering a middle-order slump to fall to 118 for 7 and then ended their innings at 198 all out in 49.54 overs.
The first half of Mumbai's innings was held together by Shreyas Iyer's 65-ball 49. Once Iyer departed -- one of the six wickets Mumbai lost for 58 runs -- Suryakant Yadav's 46-run partnership with Dhawal Kulkarni (21 not out) lifted the side past 150.

Yadav was eventually dismissed for 42 off 58 deliveries, and Mumbai then benefited from Trivedi's quick 24 off 19, which included three fours and a six.
Kulkarni then dismissed Assam openers -- Pallavkumar Das and Sibsankar Roy -- within 11 overs after which Nayar and Trivedi ran through the middle-order.
Amit Verma's 33 and J Syed Mohammad's 25 were the only scores above 20 as Assam crumbled to 83 for 8 by the 29th over.