Hidalgo, Luiten and Meronk top stacked leaderboard at DP World India Championship

The tournament played catch up after nearly five hours were lost to storms on on day one but conditions were perfect as some players faced 36 holes on Friday.

Luiten played the most of the leaders as he tackled 34 holes in six under par in rounds of 68-68 to get to eight under, while Meronk and Hidalgo both faced 31 holes.

Meronk was five under through four at the end of Thursday but added just one more first-round birdie before following up with a 69, while Hidalgo joined Luiten with rounds of 68-68.

Belgian Thomas Detry birdied three of his first six holes in round two to sit alongside the leaders, a shot clear of English pair Todd Clements and Eddie Pepperell.

Eugenio Chacarra was also at seven under through five holes as he seeks a result which could send him to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World on Sunday.

"It was a lot of solid golf," said Meronk, who recently won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. "I'm happy with my position. Obviously a little bit disappointed with the bogey on the last, but it's still a good round and I'm happy with the day of work.

"It suddenly feels like I'm gaining the momentum, the confidence is growing and it's a great feeling. Just when you really can trust your golf game, when you hit shots to your targets, it's just so much fun.

"I think finally, yeah, the game is in a good spot and I am just trying to enjoy it and play to my spots and keep on going."

Dutchman Luiten also got to nine under with a hat-trick of gains from the 13th and further birdies on the 18th and second. He then made a double on the eighth but bounced straight back from 14 feet on the next.

"It was good for 17 holes, and then my 17th, the eighth hole, I double bogey, which normally you would say it's a birdie hole," said Luiten, who finished sixth at the recent BMW PGA Championship and 13th last week.

"I think the long day and the tiredness just got to me a bit at the end and luckily I could get a birdie on the ninth. It's been a good day."

Hidalgo's recent runner-up finish at the FedEx Open de France has secured his place in the play-offs and he made birdies on the first, sixth, seventh, eighth and 14th before bouncing back from a double with a closing gain.

"Pretty good," he said. "Especially in this course. It's pretty tight. Pretty happy with the way I'm playing these two rounds. Looking forward to the weekend.

"I'm hitting a little bit better the ball. Last year I play super good from the tee but I couldn't hole a putt and I played terrible from the fairway. This year everything is quite okay, so that's why we are there and it's the biggest difference from a last year."