Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021, Group E: 3 top batting performances

The 2021 season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's domestic T20 competition, got underway today. The tournament sees teams divided into five 'elite' groups and one plate group.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group E has Delhi, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Saurashtra, Hyderabad and Uttarakhand.

In the first round of matches, Delhi beat Uttarakhand by 35 runs while Uttar Pradesh beat Chandigarh by 22 runs.

Hyderabad edged Saurashtra in a thriller, winning by two wickets.

Delhi are on top of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group E table with the best Net Run Rate, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Hyderabad.

Delhi were restricted to 121/8 in Rohtak by Uttarakhand. But they put on a brilliant bowling display to bowl out their opponents for 86, with spinner Shivank Vashisht taking five wickets.

Uttar Pradesh scored 165/4 in Sultanpur, spurred by half centuries from captain Karan Sharma and Rinku Singh. In return, Chandigarh could only get to 143/5. Shivam Mavi and Ankit Rajpoot took two wickets apiece.

Hyderabad then edged Saurashtra in a high-scoring thriller. Saurashtra, powered by half-centuries from Prerak Mankad and captain Jaydev Unadkat, scored 173/8.

Hyderabad captain Tanmay Agarwal scored a half-century. That and some handy contributions from the rest of the batters saw them chase the total down with three deliveries to spare.

The first round of matches from Elite Group E of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy produced some memorable batting displays.

Here are the top three batting displays from Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group E today

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#1. Prerak Mankad 71 (46)

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Prerak Mankad's brilliant knock went in vain as Saurashtra were beaten by Hyderabad.

After being put in to bat, Saurashtra were in trouble early. They lost three wickets within the first four overs, with Mohammed Siraj looking especially deadly.

But, coming in at no.5, Prerak Mankad steadied the innings and kept the scoreboard ticking. He saw two wickets fall off consecutive deliveries in the 10th over. But along with captain Jaydev Unadkat, he put on an 89-run stand that was crucial in them putting on a big total.

Mankad ended up scoring 71 off 46, with four boundaries and five maximums.

It was the 27-year-old's sixth T20 half-century, and he fell short of his highest score by just one run.

Unfortunately Mankad's brilliant knock did not ensure a win for his team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as Hyderabad chased down the 174-run target.

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#2. Jaydev Unadkat 58 (32)

Jaydev Unadkat showed off his batting skills in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Our next mention is also a knock in a losing cause, in fact the same one. In a surprising performance with the bat, Jaydev Unadkat displayed some devastating hitting to give much-needed support to Prerak Mankad for Saurashtra.

Known more for his bowling, Unadkat smashed six boundaries and three sixes and scored his 58 at a strike rate of 181.25.

Unadkat finished the innings for his team, staying unbeaten till the end.

It was also his maiden T20 half-century.

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A mention must also go to Tanmay Agarwal, who scored 55 off 35 for Hyderabad. He held up one end for almost 15 overs to help his team chase the target down. There were no other major contributions from Hyderabad batters, but a series of players chipping in.

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#3. Rinku Singh 57 (29)

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Rinku Singh blitzed a half-century to help Uttar Pradesh beat Chandigarh.

Coming in to bat with a score reading 79/2 after 11.5 overs, Rinku Singh gave Uttar Pradesh much-needed momentum.

He blitzed 57 at a strike rate of 196.55, to power them to 165/4.

His knock complemented captain Karan Sharma's anchoring innings of 60 (50).

Rinku Singh hit four fours and as many maximums in his 29-ball stay. It was his fourth T20 half-century and his highest score in the format.

The knock helped Uttar Pradesh get off to a winning start in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as Chandigarh were restricted to 143/5.