Priyank helps Gujarat halt UP victory march
TWENTY20 Despite leading the point’s table with a better run quotient, UP need to win today’s match to reach final
LUCKNOW: Young Priyank Panchal’s all-round performance on Friday helped Gujarat beat Uttar Pradesh by 34 runs in the Super League of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy. With this defeat, UP’s six-match winning streak in the tournament also came to an end.
Playing only the third twenty20 match of his career, the 24-year-old right-hand opener Panchal batted with aplomb to score a dazzling 52-ball 77 to guide Gujarat to a challenging 4/184. His maiden half century saw him hit 12 fours. His opening wicket stand of 75 runs with Rajdeep Darbar (35, 32b, 4x4) set the tone for the innings before the pair of Chirag Gandhi and Rohit Dahiya gave it a finishing touch, plundering 44 runs in the last three overs.
Chasing a target of 185 in 20 overs in reply, UP started well reaching 2/76 in eight overs. However, the introduction of Panchal from the pavilion end changed the equations as medium pacer ran through UP’s batting in a trice.
He removed Umang Sharma to take his first wicket in this version of the game. He then took three more wickets to derail UP’s innings, which ended at 150. Panchal, who conceded just 19 runs in his four over spell, showed his might in the field also, grabbing four catches. Panchal was well supported by offie Rajul Bhatt, who finished with 3 for 15.
For UP, opener Mukul Dagar once again lived up to the expectations, hitting yet another half-century. His 35-ball 58, which contained 10 fours and a six remained the biggest highlights of the UP innings. Skipper Akshdeep Nath (27, 24b, 1x4, 1x6) and Praveen Kumar (26, 17b, 2x4, 2x6) tried to adore UP’s innings, but in vain.
UP still lead the Group A table with eight points. Three others Gujarat, Goa and Haryana too have eight points each, and now the focus would be on the last day’s matches in the Super League on Saturday when UP meet Haryana and Goa take in Gujarat.
One team from the group would be qualifying for the April 14 final. UP, therefore, need to win Sunday’s game by a good margin to get a ticket for the grand finale. BARODA, KERALA WIN Baroda and Kerala kept themselves inthe hunt for a berth in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 All India tournament final by defeating Rajasthan and Bengal respectively in low-scoring Group B matches.
Baroda chased the meagre total of 103 all out put up by Rajasthan successfully to win comprehensively by ten wickets at the Wankhede Stadium, for their third win on the trot.
Kerala defended their modest score of 101 for 8 by bundling out Baroda for a pathetic 82 to win by 19 runs at the Sharad Pawar indoor academy ground in the Bandra-Kurla complex for their second win in three games.
Though Rajasthan lost to Baroda, they still have an outside chance to go through if Kerala defeat Baroda tomorrow and they get the better of Delhi, the fifth team in the group, as a triple-way tie on points would result in the net run-rate determining the group winners.