Even Ishwar can't save Gujarat

RAJKOT: Despite Ishwar Chaudhary's hat-trick in the 19th over of the Mumbai innings, it was yet another flop show by Gujarat as they went down by 78 runs in the West Zone T20 tournament at the SCA Stadium in Khandheri on Friday.
Gujarat, with two defeats from as many matches, are virtually out of reckoning for the knock-out stage. Mumbai have eight points from two wins and now play Baroda in a crucial game on Saturday.
Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer yet again hogged the limelight with a captain's innings of 70 from 51 deliveries with seven fours and two sixes. The former India opener held the innings together and gave his young brigade an opportunity to blossom around him. Sushant Marathe and Surya Kumar Yadav gave him good support at the top with 41 and 37 respectively. Mumbai finally scored 194 for eight in their stipulated 20 overs.
They lost few wickets in a heap looking for quick runs late in the innings but the top order had already done so much damage that Gujarat's comeback was as remote as Kenya winning the World Cup in 2015.
Whatever hope they had of a fight were dashed by Jaffer's tactics. He opened with spinners from both ends, who picked up two wickets in as many overs. First, it was Iqbal Abdullah who foxed Asad Pathan with a tossed up delivery only to be stumped by Marathe for just four and then Ankit Chavan bowled number three Jesal Karia for a blob.
Gujarat finally managed to reach 116 in 19 overs. Shoaib Shaikh was the pick of Mumbai bowlers with three wickets while Abdullah and Chavan got two each and Dhaval Kulkarni one. Only Avishkar Salvi went wicketless giving away 19 runs from three overs.
Briefs scores: Mumbai 194/8 in 20 overs (W Jaffer 70, S Marathe 41, SK Yadav 37; I chaudhary 3/31, R Dahiya 2/35) beat Gujarat 116 in 19 overs (N Patel 37, R Darbar 33; S Shaikh 3/27, I Abdullah 2/21, A Chavan 2/21) by 78 runs.