MP gift Vidarbha Super League berth

NAGPUR: There's hardly any room for complacency in the shortest format, which generally doesn't give time to recover. MP learned that hard way on Friday.
They were cruising along with only 30 required off 24 deliveries. Naman Ojha (85, 60b, 13x4, 1x6) was batting beautifully in the company of Harpreet Singh.
However, Rituraj Singh (3.5-0-26-4) cleaned the star MP batsman with a brilliant slower one and then took a brilliant backward running catch in the next over to dismiss well-set Harpreet.It triggered a dramatic collapse as MP lost the plot within no time.
From 128-3, MP were eventually bowled out for 145 in 19.5 overs while chasing Rajasthan's 151-5 in the final league tie of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy on Friday.
The 6-run loss forced MP out of the competition and they failed to reach the final round of Twenty20 for the first time since the tournament started. With back-to-back victories over Uttar Pradesh and Railways, they needed to win their last match against Rajasthan to advance.
It wasn't an ideal start for MP as they lost in-form Rameez Khan and reliable Jalaj Saxena in the first over. Skipper Udit Birla, immediately put pressure back on Rajasthan with two successive sixes off Pankaj Singh in the third over.
Ojha, who had a quiet tournament till then, joined the party, taking the attack to the opposition with some bold strokes. The duo added 75 in just 57 balls for the third wicket and despite Birla's fall, MP never looked in trouble as Ojha was going great guns. He had 50-run fourth wicket stand with Harpreet and with long batting to come, MP were in driver's seat.
Ojha's wicket, however, swung the momentum quickly. With 24 needed off 18 balls, Madhur Khatri conceded just one run in the 18th over along with Harpreet's wicket and suddenly the pressure was back on MP. Even though they had enough batting, they struggled. Varunesh Singh and Anand Singh succumbed while trying to hit Gajendra Singh out of the ground next over.
MP needed 15 in the last over. Rituraj cleaned up Ishwar Pandey on the first ball while Jatin Saxena was hold on at long-on boundary. Anand Rajan raised the hopes with a straight six but Rituraj bowled another straight delivery that uprooted Rajan's stump and sealed the win.
Earlier, opener Ankit Lamba (64, 48b, 7x4, 2x6) and Rajesh Bishnoi (52, 31b, 3x4, 4x6) hit brilliant fifties and added 88 in just 50 balls as Rajasthan were able to post a competitive total on the board.
The duo hit 24 off Birla's only over that had three towering sixes (two by Bishnoi and one by Lamba) and at that moment Rajasthan looked like getting 170. Their departures in quick succession cost Rajasthan another 15-20 runs. They couldn't get going in the last five overs. In fact, they could add just 17 in the last four overs, which included a maiden by Ishwar Pandey.
BRIEF SCORES
Rajasthan 151-5 in 20 overs (Ankit Lamba 64, Rajesh Bishnoi 52; Ishwar Pandey 2-26, Anand Rajan, Jatin Saxena one wicket each) beat MP 145 in 19.5 overs (Naman Ojha 85, Udit Birla 29; Rituraj Singh 4-26; Gajendra Singh 2-30, Madhur Khatri 2-27) by six runs.