Haryana defended a meagre total and effected a comprehensive 71-run victory over Delhi in their Ranji one-day match at Patiala on Monday.

Winning the toss, Haryana posted only 217 in their innings. The first three wickets fell for 30, and the innings looked certain to crumble. But 42 from Shafiq Khan and a busy 73 off 80 balls from skipper Ajay Ratra took Haryana through past the 200-run mark. They reached 217/9, with Ratra unbeaten till the very end. For Delhi, Amit Bhandari took 4 wickets.

Mithun Manhas' 41 notwithstanding, Delhi collapsed spectacularly in their batting effort. Bowled out in 40.3 overs for just 146, Delhi struggled against all the Haryana bowlers. Only Manhas batted with any degree of comfort, and when he fell with the score on 114, the match was all but over.

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