UPT20 2023: Gorakhpur Lions dominate Meerut Mavericks with eight wickets in a run-fest

Kanpur, September 3, 2023: In yet another nail-biting encounter at the ongoing UPT20, the Gorakhpur Lions triumphed over the Meerut Mavericks with eight wickets and seven balls remaining as they showcased their batting prowess, chasing down a mammoth target of 213.  It was the formidable partnership between Yashovardhan Singh (81*) and Siddharth Yadav (61*) that stole the show.

Yashovardhan’s knock and Yadav’s blitzkrieg half-century in just 22 balls constructed a scintillating 110-run partnership in 42 deliveries. Their combined onslaught ensured that the Gorakhpur Lions clinched their maiden victory, rendering Swastik Chikara’s spectacular ton for the Meerut Mavericks in vain.

Asked to set a target by the Gorakhpur Lions, Meerut Mavericks’ openers Shoaib Siddiqui (31) and the in-form Swastik Chikara (101) forged a partnership of 38. However, a miscalculation from Siddiqui led to his run-out in the fifth over. Meerut finished the powerplay at 50/1. While Chikara continued his sensational form, captain Madhav Kaushik was scalped by Vats in the seventh over before he could register a single run.

Rinku Singh, the next batsman, got a lifeline when he was dropped during Shivam Sharma’ spell, but his reprieve was short-lived as he fell to Dhruv Pratap Singh the very next over. As Chikara secured his half-century off just 27 balls, the dynamic Uvaish Khan stepped up. He played a breathtaking knock, smashing 38 off 18 balls, before Sunil Kumar halted his charge with the scoreboard at 125/4 in 13 overs. Heading into the final five overs, the Meerut Mavericks were placed at 153/4.  

Gorakhpur’s Abdul Rahman began his first spell of the day with the wicket of Divyansh Joshi (9), however, Chikara targeted him in the 18th over, scoring 16 runs with two sixes and a four. Vasu Vats bowled a tight 19th over with the wickets of Yash Garg (12) and Purnank Tyagi (4). Chikara’s explosive innings culminated in the final over, with his second consecutive century of the tournament, achieving the milestone in just 48 deliveries with seven fours and eight sixes. The Meerut Mavericks finished at 213/8 by the end of 20 overs.

The Gorakhpur Lions set off confidently in their chase, skipper Abishek Goswami (48) and Harshit (19) built an alliance of 37 runs before Harshit was caught and bowled by Purvank Tyagi in the fifth over. Yashovardhan Singh (81*) came out aggressively, beginning his stint in the middle with a six and a four as the Gorakhpur Lions went on to finish their powerplay at 63/1.

The 67-run alliance of Goswami and Yashovardhan Singh was broken by Yash Garg, when Goswami departed in the 12th over, leaving the Lions at 104/2. The runs continued to flow as Yashovardhan brought up his half-century in 28 balls.  Siddharth Yadav joined Yashovardhan's onslaught and put on a showcase of world-class batting to tilt the scales. He reached his half-century in just 22 balls constructing a partnership of 110 runs in 42 deliveries. The pair went on a rampage hammering seven sixes in the last four overs to ensure the Gorakhpur Lions pulled off a thrilling run chase to summit their daunting target with eight wickets remaining.

Meerut Mavericks: 213/8 (Swastik Chikara – 101 runs – 49 balls, Uvaish Khan – 38 runs in 18 balls, Shoaib Siddiqui – 31 runs in 23 balls, Vasu Vats – 3/38, Abdul Rahman – 2/43, Sunil Kumar – 1/28)