UP’s knockout hopes dented after narrow loss to Maha

Kanpur: A gritty display by the lower order guided Maharashtra to a three-wicket win over Uttar Pradesh in an Elite Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday. This defeat, UP's third in the tournament, made their progression to the knockouts highly challenging.Chasing a modest target of 131, Maharashtra reached 131 for 7 with an over to spare. UP had earlier posted 130 for 9 after recovering from a poor start. The foundation of Maharashtra's chase was laid by an opening stand of 53 runs between skipper Prithvi Shaw (28) and Arshin Kulkarni (23), the highest partnership of their innings. Both fell at the same score, Shaw was run out, while Kulkarni was caught behind by Aryan off Kartik Tyagi. Maharashtra then slipped to 82 for 4 with the dismissals of Jalaj Saxena (7) and Sahil Parakh (13). A timely 32-run stand off 25 balls between Niraj Joshi and R.R. Nikam steadied the innings. However, UP bowlers Vipraj Nigam and Bhuvneshwar Kumar revived hopes by removing Joshi, Nikam and NS Naik in quick succession, reducing Maharashtra to 117 for 7. At this tense stage, Vicky Ostwal and TH Sanghvi held their nerves, scoring the remaining 14 runs in just 11 balls to seal the victory. For UP, Kartik Tyagi claimed three wickets, while Vipraj Nigam picked up two. Earlier, UP's decision to bat first backfired as they slumped to 38 for 4 in 9.3 overs. Madhav Kaushik (0), Siddharth Yadav (8), Karan Sharma (0) and Aryan Juyal (17) all departed cheaply. Two crucial middle-order partnerships lent UP some respectability. Captain Sameer Rizvi added 37 runs off 28 balls with Rinku Singh, and later Rinku partnered Prashant Veer in a 45-run stand off 25 deliveries. Sameer (20 off 29) fell to P.H. Solanki, while Rinku — the top scorer with 45 off 29 balls, including six fours and a six — was dismissed by Hangargekar. Prashant Veer battled on alone, finishing unbeaten on 22 off 14 balls with two boundaries and a six, as the lower order collapsed around him. For Maharashtra, medium pacer RS Hangargekar was the standout bowler with impressive figures of 3 for 10. Jalaj Saxena, TH Sanghvi and PH Solanki picked up two wickets each. Brief scores: UP: 9/130 (Aryan Juyal 17, Rizvi 20, Rinku Singh 45, Prashant Veer not out 22; Hangargekar 3/10, Jalaj Saxena 2/19, Sanghvi 2/27, Solanki 2/33) Maharashtra: (Prithvi Shaw 28, Arshin Kulkarni 23, Sahil Parekh 18; Vipraj 2/27, Kartik Tyagi 3/34).

Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here