Mohali, Jan. 31 -- Exploiting the spin-friendly surface at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium, Punjab's left-arm spinners Harpreet Brar (4/101) and Emanjot Chahal (1/55) put the hosts in a commanding position by restricting Karnataka to 255/6 in their first innings on Day Two of the final-round Elite Group B Ranji Trophy fixture.

In reply to Punjab's first-innings total of 309, Karnataka, with four wickets still in hand, trail by 54 runs, setting up a finely poised contest. Earlier, Punjab's innings ended soon after the resumption of play, with the hosts adding just six runs to their overnight score of 303. For Karnataka, Vidhyadhar Patil claimed four wickets while Shreyas Gopal picked up three.

Karnataka began their reply on a positive note as ...