Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh Through To SMAT Super League From Group A
Star-studded Mumbai returned to winnings ways following their loss to Kerala in the previous round, defeating Chhattisgarh by eight wickets.
Star-studded Mumbai returned to winnings ways following their loss to Kerala in the previous round, defeating Chhattisgarh by eight wickets with skipper Shardul Thakur starring with the ball and Ayush Mhatre slamming a half century in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group A match in Lucknow on Saturday. With one more round to go in the group stage, defending champions Mumbai (20 points), who have won five out of six games so far, and Andhra (20 points) -- who too have won five games -- advanced to the next stage of the competition.
Mumbai, who had lost to Kerala by 15 runs in the previous game, were served well by India all-rounder Thakur who returned excellent figures of 3/19 in three overs as Chhattisgarh were bundled out for a paltry 121 in 19.4 overs.
Mumbai openers Ayush Mhatre (69 not out, 39 balls) and India's batting stalwart Ajinkya Rahane (40 off 28 balls) were then involved in an 82-run stand as the reigning champions reached the target in 15.5 overs for the loss of two wickets.
Mumbai pacers held sway with Thakur making an early dent by getting rid of opener Amit Yadav and skipper Amandeep Khare in the third over of the innings, as consecutive wickets fell when Chhattisgarh had scored just 17 runs.
The early jolts, coupled with incisive bowling from right-arm pacer Tushar Deshpande (2/38) and young quick Suryansh Shedge (2/12) forced Chhattisgarh on the backfoot as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals with six batters managing single-digit scores.
Chasing a below-average score, Mumbai batters went into overdrive almost instantly with teenage opener Mhatre smashing three boundaries and five sixes, while senior partner Rahane hit three boundaries and two maximums.
By the time Chhattisgarh leg-spinner Shubham Agarwal got the better of Rahane, Mumbai were well on course for an easy win at 82/1.
In another match, India keeper-batter Sanju Samson came up with a fine unbeaten 73 (56 balls) but his efforts were not enough as Kerala suffered a crushing seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Andhra, who scored the required runs in just 12 overs and are almost assured of making it to the next round with five wins from six games -- the same as Mumbai.
Samson, who batted from start to finish, saw seven of his batters score in single-digit as Kerala managed only 119/7 in 20 overs, which was chased down in double quick time by Andhra.
Puducherry stun Bengal by 81 runs
Spinners Jayant Yadav and Sidak Singh outshone out-of-favour India pacer Mohammed Shami with four and three wickets respectively as Puducherry stunned Bengal by 81 runs in a Group C match.Â
Electing to field first, Bengal restricted Puducherry to 177 for 5 with veteran Shami taking three wickets for 34 runs from his four overs. He was well supported by off-spinner Writtick Chatterjee (2/53) while pacer Akash Deep went wicketless.
For Puducherry, captain Aman Khan top-scored with a strokeful 40-ball 74, studded with five fours and seven sixes, while Jashwanth Shreeram contributed 45.
Chasing 178 for a win, Bengal were bowled out for 96 in just 13.5 overs, with off-spinner Jayant taking four wickets for 28 runs from his four overs, while left-arm spinner Sidak returned with stunning figures of 3 for 9 from his three overs.
Adil Ayub Tunda and Aman Khan got one wicket each.
For Bengal, Karan Lal top-scored with 40 off 23 balls while his opening partner Abhishek Porel and captain Abhimanyu Easwaran made 11 and 12 respectively. All other Bengal batters could not reach double digit figures.
In another match, Gujarat beat Himachal Pradesh by one wicket in a thrilling last-ball finish.
Put in to bat, Himachal Pradesh made 193 for 8 with Mridul Surroch top-scoring with 88 off 48 deliveries. Opener Innesh Mahajan and Akash Vasisht chipped in with 36 and 49 respectively.
Harshal Patel, Arzan Nagwaswalla and Japagnya Bhatt took two wickets apiece for Gujarat.
Gujarat overhauled the target in the final ball of the run chase. Captain Urvil Patel (39), Aarya Desai (37) and Saurav Chauhan (35) made valuable contributions though no batter scored big.
For Himachal, Mridul Surroch was the most successful bowlers with three wickets for 45 runs.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerala