Karnataka will aim to gain a victory with a bonus point when it takes on Haryana in their last Ranji Trophy Elite ‘C’ group stage match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Karnataka (19 points) will need a full seven points to challenge table-topper Haryana (26 points). If Haryana and Karnataka are tied on points, Karnataka will advance on the back of recording more bonus point wins.

With second-placed Kerala (21 points) expected to gain a win over a weak Bihar at Thiruvananthapuram, Karnataka will need a big win to deny Haryana a knockout berth. In the event that Kerala is held to a draw by Bihar, a victory without bonus point will suffice for Karnataka to advance.

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The home team is bolstered by the inclusion of batter K.L. Rahul and pacer Vidwath Kaverappa. Karnataka coach Yere Goud stated that Rahul is likely to bat at number three. Kaverappa did not bowl in the team’s training session on Wednesday, but Goud confirmed that the speedster is “completely fit to play”.

On the return of Rahul, Goud said, “K.L. (Rahul) coming in makes a huge difference. He brings a lot of experience and adds a lot of value in all other aspects of the game.”

Karnataka stayed in contention by defeating Punjab by an innings and 207 in its previous encounter. Young R. Smaran proved his class with a classy double hundred, while the bowling attack fired in unison.

Haryana is expected to put up a fight. Himanshu Rana, Ankit Kumar and Nishant Sindhu can dig in their heels with the bat, while Anshul Kamboj and Sumit Kumar form an efficient pace duo. The experienced Jayant Yadav is a quality all-rounder and match-winner in his own right.