Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20: Irfan Pathan Continues Magnificent Form, Cheteshwar Pujara's Knock Goes in Vain

Irfan Pathan continued to shine in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 competition as he helped Baroda enter the knockouts. Delhi held off Goa in a low-scoring thriller to reach the knock-outs stages while Himachal Pradesh kept their chances alive. Cheteshwar Pujara continued his aggressive form for Saurashtra but his knock went in vain against Jharkhand. (Latest Cricket News)

Delhi Beat Goa in Low-Scoring Thriller

Delhi produced a disciplined bowling display as they defended a small total to beat Goa by a narrow two runs and qualify for the knockouts.

Put into bat, Delhi posted a mere 91 all out in 19.2 overs, with Shadab Jakati (5/17) running through the Delhi batting line-up after Lakshay Garg (2/5) inflicted early damage.

Milind Kumar top-scored with a 29-ball 19. Opener Unmukt Chand (15) and Shivam Sharma (12) were the other main contributors.Chasing 92 for a win, Goa could score 89 for 9 in the face a disciplined bowling show by Delhi. The Goans also suffered a batting collapse as only two batsmen could score in double digits.

Yuvraj Singh's Knock Upstaged by Sanju Samson Blitz

Sanju Samson smashed 72 off 56 balls as Kerala completed a five wicket win over Punjab to cruise into the quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy.

Yuvraj Singh (54 off 44) took Punjab to 135 for 7 before Samson stole the show to lead Kerala to their fifth win in as many games.

Assam Thump Railways

Pallav Kumar Das made a strokeful 77 to guide Assam to a comfortable five-wicket win over Railways in an inconsequential Group C match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali cricket tournament

Chasing 143 runs for victory, Pallav hammered the Railways bowlers to all parts of the ground to score his runs off just 43 balls. He struck eight boundaries and three sixes in the process.

Besides Pallav, Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad was the other notable run getter for Assam with a 39-ball 36 as Assam chased down the target with ease, reaching 147 runs for five in 18.2 overs.

Himachal Pradesh Keep Knockout Hopes Alive

Himachal Pradesh brightened their prospects of advancing to the knockout stage after recording a comfortable six-wicket win over Tamil Nadu here today.

Batting at number three, Paras Dogra top-scored for Himachal with a swashbuckling 33-ball 79, guiding the side home in its chase of 169 with as many as 19 balls to spare at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground.

Irfan Pathan Helps Baroda Into the Knockouts

Baroda batsman made heavy weather of a modest run-chase to scrape past Andhra Pradesh by three wickets in their penultimate Group C league match

Baroda, along with with table-toppers Delhi, have remained unbeaten in their five league games to secure their respective quarter-finals spots.

Chasing a paltry 92 for a win at the Motibaug Cricket Stadium, the hosts were reduced to 52 for six, before skipper Irfan Pathan (28 not out) hung on with Swapnil K Singh (13) and then Soaeb Tai (3 not out) to help achieve the target in 16.5 overs.

Haryana Snap Losing Streak

Nitin Saini's unbeaten 74 and Amit Mishra's four-wicket haul helped Haryana notch up their first victory of the tournament as they beat Bengal by 17 runs in a Group A match.

Though both teams are out of contention for a knockout berth and are jostling for the bottom position in the points table, it was a morale-lifting win for Haryana given the terrible run they have endured so far in the tournament.

Cheteshwara Pujara Piles On the Runs, Jharkhand Enter Knockouts

Jharkhand reached the knockout stage after producing a disciplined all-round performance to comfortably beat Saurashtra by seven wickets.     

Opting to bowl, Jharkhand restricted Saurashtra to 128 for five in the stipulated 20 overs at Nehru Stadium, before overhauling the target with three balls to spare, reaching 132 for three in 19.3 overs.

Opening the batting, Cheteshwar Pujara top-scored for Saurashtra with 54 off 52 balls, while hitting five boundaries and two sixes.

Tripura Clinch Last-Ball Thriller Against Rajasthan

Tripura's tailend batsman Viki Saha held his nerve to help Tripura eke out a one-wicket win against Rajasthan in a thrilling last-ball finish in the Group B Twnety20 match.

Chasing 113 for a win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Tripura were reduced to 112 for nine in 19.4 overs before new man Saha, who had bagged two wickets in the first innings of the game, got the strike on the final ball of the match to score the winner.