Jharkhand, Vidarbha Seal Knockout Spots in Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy

The final league matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 trophy saw Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra exit the tournament on a high while Jharkhand sealed their spot in the knockouts. (Parthiv Patel Fifty Propels Gujarat to Victory)

Tamil Nadu Fail to Qualify Despite Win (Gambhir Flops Again, Delhi Win Thanks to Nitish Rana)

Tamil Nadu failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, despite beating Hyderabad by four wickets in a Group A match here today.

Opting to bowl after winning the toss, Tamil Nadu restricted Hyderabad to 140 for eight in the stipulated 20 overs.

In reply, Tamil Nadu completed the chase with eight balls to spare at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Jamtha.

Punjab Lose to Saurashtra in Inconsequential Match

Himanshu Chawla scored a belligerent half-century but other Punjab batsmen let the side down as Saurashtra won the Group B match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Both the teams have been eliminated from the tournament and it was a matter of going out on a high note.

Jharkhand Beat Kerala, Seal Knockout Spot

Jharkhand defeated Kerala by six wickets to qualify for the knockout stage.

Opting to field in the Group B match, Jharkhand restricted Kerala to 169 for six in the stipulated 20 overs at St St Paul's College Ground.

In reply, Jharkhand chased down the target in excatly 19 overs, reaching 174 with four wickets to spare.

Madhya Pradesh Outlcass Assam

Madhya Pradesh defeated Assam by five wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Madhya Pradesh have four wins from six outings, while Assam are already out of the tournament having registered just two victories from as many matches while suffering four defeats.

Rajasthan Thrash Jammu and Kashmir

Rajashthan defeated Jammu and Kashmir by 45 runs in a dead rubber match.

Siddharth Dobal (71) and Ankit Lamba (54) fired Rajasthan to 174 for 5 before their bowlers restricted Jammu and Kashmir to 129 for 7 in 20 overs.

Hardik Pandya's Knock in Vain, Delhi's Unbeaten Run Continues

Nitish Rana continued his blazing form as he pulverised Irfan Pathan-led Baroda to help Delhi win by five wickets

Batting first, Baroda managed a decent 153 for six in 20 overs. Australia bound T20 specialist Hardik Pandya warmed up nicely with an unbeaten 51-ball-81 that had five boundaries and six sixes. Left-arm spinners Manan Sharma bowled well to grab 4/17 in four overs.

In reply, Delhi finished the match with three balls to spare riding on left-hander Rana's 29-ball-53 that had three boundaries and five sixes.

Vidarbha Top Group A, Beat Himachal Pradesh

Vidarbha today easily entered the quarter-finals by beating Himachal Pradesh by 27 runs and also topping group A in the process.

Opener Jitesh Sharma scored 106 off 65 balls with 12 boundaries and three sixes as Vidarbha piled 183 for six in 20 overs. Interestingly, the next best was Faiz Fazal with 20.

In reply, Himachal Pradesh managed only 156 in 19.5 overs. Skipper Bipul Sharma scored 58.