Giants Mumbai lose to Gujarat
MUMBAI: Saturday will go down as a dark day in Mumbai cricket after the domestic giants suffered a humiliating nine-wicket defeat to Gujarat at their home ground, Wankhede Stadium.
Having taken a slender 16-run first innings lead, Mumbai’s batting crumbled in the second innings, folding up for 187, which led to their downfall.
Chasing 204 for victory, skipper Priyank Panchal’s 109-ball 112 took them past the target with ease. Panchal’s innings included 11 fours and three sixes and his 128-run opening stand with Kathan Patel (55) virtually sealed the match.
Panchal is the top-scorer in the Elite Groups, having aggregated 540 runs after four matches, including three centuries and two fifties. Gujarat moved to the top of the combined Group A&B standings with 16 points. With top-five teams making it to the quarter-finals, Mumbai will have to play out of their skin in their remaining five matches to make it to the knockouts.
Mumbai coach Vinayak Samant expressed frustration at the lack of ‘khadoos attitude’ that was once a hallmark of a Mumbai cricketer. “You have to make them understand the importance of it (Mumbai cap),” said Samant.
“When you don’t have lot of players who have played for Mumbai or haven’t won much, then they don’t know the value of it. Because of the IPL, they can play for India but playing four days and staying on the wicket is very difficult.”
BENGAL PIP TN
In Chennai, Bengal snatched a one-wicket win against Tamil Nadu to earn six points in a Elite Group B match at the Chidambaram stadium.
Needing 216 for victory, the visitors scraped home in a tense finish as Tamil Nadu spinner Rahil Shah came up with another five-wicket haul.