Hyderabad: Ankit Bawne struck a fine unbeaten 89 to put Maharashtra in a good position against six-time champions Karnataka on the first day of the Ranji Trophy cricket final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, here Wednesday.

Opting to bat, Maharashtra lost in-form opener Harshad Khadiwale (15) early but Khurana (64) played the role of sheet anchor to perfection for one and half sessions as they were able to conjure three 50 plus partnerships, which helped them put up a decent total on a slow Uppal track.