Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2016: Super League day 3 review

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has now reached its conclusive stage with Uttar Pradesh and Baroda set to face each other in the finals on 20th January at the Wankhede Stadium Mumbai. The final day of the Super League stage was very important. Mumbai, Gujarat, Baroda and Uttar Pradesh all had their chances hanging on the outcome of their respective matches while Kerala and Vidarbha played out a dead rubber.

Gujarat won their game but were still knocked out as Uttar Pradesh also won its 3rd straight tie and advanced ahead on the basis of higher points. Mumbai and Baroda played out a gripping match in which Baroda came out victorious in the end.

Gujarat defeats Jharkhand but fails to qualify for the final

Jharkhand batted first and could only manage a decent 142/6 in 20 overs. Gujarat bowlers had the batsmen under pressure but the lower middle order led by Ishank Jaggi (39 from 24 balls) batted sturdily and took Jharkhand to a competitive position. In reply, Gujarat suffered an early blow in the form of Parthiv Patel but PK Panchal (35 from 28 balls) and MC Juneja (33 from 24 balls) denied Jharkhand any further opportunities till the halfway stage. A couple of wickets fell after this partnership was broken in the 10th over but Chirag Gandhi (25 from 11 balls) and Rush Kalaria (15 from 5-ball) took Gujarat over the line.

Brief Scores:

Jharkhand: 142/6 in 20 overs (Ishank Jaggi 39; RB Kalaria 2/34)

Gujarat: 146/4 in 14.1 overs (PK Panchal 35; Kaushal Singh 2/21)

Vidarbha bow out of with three straight losses

Vidarbha batsmen had a very dismal day today as they were all out for just 105 runs in 19.3 overs after being put into bat by Kerala. After a decent start, the team stumbled badly and lost wickets in clusters. Vidarbha bowlers tried their best to defend the low target put up by their batsman. However, Rohan Prem’s run-a-ball innings of 34 kept Kerala afloat in the chase and the team eventually won the match with two wickets to spare.

Brief Scores:

Vidarbha: 105 all out (UR Patel 28; Niyaz Nazar 3/14)

Kerala: 109 in 18.4 overs (Rohan Prem 34; AA Wakhare 3/26)

Uttar Pradesh qualify for the finals

Uttar Pradesh beat Delhi by 3 wickets to win the crucial game and qualify for the finals. Uttar Pradesh opted to chase the target after winning the toss. Delhi managed to set a functional total of 158/6 on the scoreboard with the help of Unmukt Chand’s 35-ball 48 and Pawan Negi’s breezy knock of 41 off 23 balls. In reply, Uttar Pradesh had a scare right away as they quickly slipped to 44/4. The condition worsened when they were further reduced to 84/6. But, Eklavya Dwivedi (49 from 35 balls) was their savior today. He along with Praveen Kumar (18 from 13 balls) and Amit Mishra (19 from 9 balls) took responsibility and eventually guided their team to victory.

Brief Scores:

Delhi: 158/6 20 overs (U Chand 48; A Mishra 2/25)

Uttar Pradesh: 159/7 19.4 overs (E Dwivedi 49; N Saini 2/24)

Baroda knocks out Mumbai for the title clash

This game was a nail biting one. Both the teams needed outright wins to qualify for the finals and they fought well till the end for it. Mumbai batted first and could only put up 151/5 after 20 overs. Bhargav Bhatt (2/25) was Baroda’s best bowler today. He was once on a hat-trick chance after he dismissed Shashank Singh and Siddhesh Lad in the 9th over. However, Surya Kumar Yadav denied him the chance. Baroda needed to chase the target in 19.1 overs to qualify for the final. The start was not great as Baroda were struggling at 28/2. But, Pandya and Hooda rescued their team from there. Later, Pathan (19 from 13 balls) also contributed valuable runs. The match took and interesting turn when Mumbai bowler Trivedi gave a twin blow to Baroda in the 19th. However, Bhatt struck the winning four off the next ball and ensured that Baroda advance to the final.

Brief Scores:

Mumbai: 151/5 in 20 overs (S Yadav 57; B Bhatt 2/25)

Baroda: 153/9 in 19 overs (D Hooda 53; P Tambe 3/26)