Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2018: Punjab remain in contention after win; Vidarbha on verge of qualification despite loss

Punjab's batsmen ensured that their side remained in contention for the next round of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after they led them to a 19-run win over Himachal Pradesh. In a high-scoring game at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Punjab won the toss and batted first. Openers Manan Vohra and Mandeep Singh took them off to a flyer, posting 108 in just 10 overs. Mandeep slammed four boundaries and two sixes in a 32-ball innings of 46, but Vohra, the more aggressive of the two, carried on after the former's departure.

He hit 74 from 42 balls in a knock comprising ten fours and three sixes, with Yuvraj Singh contributing a useful 21. Towards the end, it was the pair of Gurkeerat Mann and Sharad Lumba that bashed Himachal. They added 50 in under five overs with Lumba getting 26 from 17 balls and Gurkeerat remaining unbeaten on 36 off merely 16 balls, taking Punjab to 211.

The Himachal middle-order got off to decent starts but only captain Prashant Chopra and Nikhil Gangta went on to get fifties. Ankush Bains contributed only 17, Paras Dogra an attacking 30 from 18 balls, Rishi Dhawan hit a quick 20 and Pankaj Jaiswal got 14, as they were all guilty off not helping Himachal maintain the momentum required to chase down such a big score. Both Chopra and Gangta got 52 – the latter remained not out – but their team fell well short in the end, finishing with only 192/5.

In the other matches, Services remained in the running despite their loss to Haryana while Vidarbha too kept themselves in the frame despite losing to Uttar Pradesh.

Brief Scores:

Central Zone:

Madhya Pradesh 135/7 in 20 overs (Harpreet 50; Mishra 3/17, Anureet 2/18) beat Railways 111/6 in 20 overs (Rawat 38*, Ghosh 26; Avesh 2/16) by 24 runs

Uttar Pradesh 137/8 in 20 overs (Chaudhary 51; Wagh 3/28, Thakur 3/29) beat Vidarbha 131/8 in 20 overs (Wankhade 33, Fazal 32; Mishra 4/10) by 6 runs

North Zone:

Punjab 211/4 in 20 overs (Vohra 74, Mandeep 46; Abhinay 1/33) beat Himachal Pradesh 192/5 in 20 overs (Gangta 52*, Chopra 52; Markande 2/35) by 19 runs

Haryana 141/6 in 19.5 overs (Chauhan 54, Tewatia 29*; Pathania 3/27) beat Services 140/8 in 20 overs (Nakul 42; A Chahal 3/36, J Yadav 2/13) by 4 wickets