Jharkhand, Delhi qualify for Super League
MULAPADU (ANDHRA PRADESH): Jharkhand and Delhi on Saturday qualified for the Super League stage of the Syed Musthaq Ali Trophy T20 cricket tournament from Group A with comfortable wins over Kerala and Nagaland, respectively.
Jharkhand overhauled Kerala’s score of 176 for 6 in the final over when former India ODI cricketer Saurabh Tiwary smashed a six over covers off Sandeep Warrier. Kerala made an exit following Saturday’s loss.
In the other match, Delhi restricted Nagaland to 118 and romped home in 12.3 overs, thanks to Hiten Dalal’s 81 (6x4, 7x6), but was unable to pip Jharkhand on net run-rate after both teams finished on 20 points.
Kerala captain Sachin Baby chose to bat in a virtual shoot-out for a spot in the super league and the openers --- Vishnu Vinod (27) and Rohan Kunnummal (34) provided a good start.
The fall of Rohan brought Vinoop Manoharan (31) to the crease and with Baby, he was involved in a 61-run stand.
The dismissals of Baby (36) and Manoharan in the space of two overs pegged Kerala back. After Md Azharudeen (8) and KB Arun Karthick (6) fell in quick succession, left-hander Salman Nazir (21) was able to provide the impetus and take the score to 176.
In reply, Jharkhand lost Ishan Kishan (1) in the third over, but the aggressive Anand Singh (72) and Virat Singh (46) took the attack to the Kerala bowlers. The two were particularly severe on MD Nidheesh and Vinoop Manoharan and provided a good platform for Jharkhand.
The experienced Tiwary, renowned for his big hitting, clobbered five sixes in his 24-ball 50 to see the team, despite a mild wobble which saw Ishank Jaggi and Kumar Deobrat fall for ducks. In the Delhi-Nagaland encounter, Subodh Bhati’s four-wicket haul helped the former bowl out its rival for 118. Dalal’s powerpacked knock ensured that Delhi coasted to victory. Brief scores Nagaland 118 in 19.4 overs (Aditya 64; Subodh Bhati 4/14) lost to Delhi 119 for 3 in 12.3 overs (Hiten Dalal 81). Points: Delhi: 4, Nagaland: 0. Kerala 176 for 6 in 20 overs (Sachin Baby 36, Rohan Kunnumal 34, Vinoop Manoharan 31; Vikash Singh 2/34) lost to Jharkhand 180 for 3 in 19.1 overs (Anand Singh 72, Saurabh Tiwary 50 not out, Virat Singh 46). Points: Jharkhand: 4, Kerala: 0. Andhra 252 for 4 in 20 overs (Ashwin Hebbar 71, M Pranith 71, Ricky Bhui 59 not out; Yashpal Singh 3/40) bt Manipur 161 for 5 in 20 overs (Mayank Raghav 65, Priyojit Singh 45, Swaroop 3/26). Points: Andhra: 4, Manipur: 0.