Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2018 – Super League Day 2, Round-up

After a thrilling end to day one of Super League stage in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, day two started with a brilliant all-round performance by Uttar Pradesh, followed by a mesmerising finish to the Punjab vs Mumbai, and in the end crackerjack nail-biting encounter between Delhi and Baroda. With Indian Premier League (IPL) auction approaching, it seems as if every other player is trying to give his best show on the field. From Uttar Pradesh skipper Suresh Raina to veteran swashbuckler Yuvraj Singh, every player is stepping up and doing what is expected of them.

In the first match of day two between Jharkhand and Rajasthan, skipper Mahipal Lomror of Rajasthan won the toss and opted to bowl first. The morning wicket was expected to assist the fast bowlers at the start which would eventually give the bowling team important breakthroughs and Rajasthan were able to capitalize on it picking early wickets.

Having lost wickets at constant intervals, it was important for Jharkhand that one of their players stepped up and help his side reach a respectable total. Yesterday’s hero Virat Singh once again with his power-packed batting skills scored 43 runs off 28 balls at a strike-rate of 153.57. His innings helped Jharkhand reach 157 runs mark. In reply, Rajasthan’s Aditya Garhwal made his intentions clear from the onset and hammered the ball all around the park. His innings with few cameos helped Rajasthan register their first win.

The second match between Uttar Pradesh and Bengal once again helped populous witness that form is temporary and class is permanent. Skipper Suresh Raina hasn’t been in sublime form for quite some time, however, he once again displayed his class and scored 126 runs with young Akshdeep Nath who also played a blistering inning of 80 runs. The duo helped UP post 253 runs.

Among Bengal batsmen, Shreevats Goswami played freely and was able to give them just the right start. However, with the run rate ticking and no other batsman stepping up, he played a loose shot to the chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav and got out. After the fall of his wicket, no one really got going and eventually, they were bowled out for a mere score of 160 runs, giving UP the edge right at the start of Super League Stage.

The most entertaining game of the day was Punjab vs Mumbai. The toss fell in favour of Harbhajan Singh who decided to bowl first, considering the conditions and their bowling attack. With some big names in Mumbai’s batting lineup, openers Akhil Herwadkar and Jay Bista gave Mumbai the start they wanted. The duo played some magnificent shots all around the ground and scored 45 runs together before Bista got out.

India’s new no.3 Shreyas Iyer came next and played the innings of his life. He scored 79 runs off 44 balls at an astonishing strike rate of 179.55. His innings was laced with 8 boundaries and 4 mighty sixes. Further, Mumbai went on to score 198 runs. In reply, Punjab continued from where they left yesterday and three out of five top-order batsmen scored 40 plus score. Yuvraj played a little cameo of 40 runs, proving the stability Punjab needed. In the end, Sharad Lumba made sure Punjab finish in style as he stayed not out on 21 and Punjab registered their second win.

The day-night match between Delhi and Baroda happened to be a low scoring contest but one will have to say that the game involved too much firepower and kept the fans and players on their toes. Delhi skipper Pradeep Sangwan asked the opposition to bat first and were well able to restrict Baroda to 140 runs. Their opener Kedar Devdhar was the only batsman to score 30 + runs and almost half of the top-order batsmen couldn’t score in double figures.

The run-out of wicketkeeper-batsman Rishab Pant for a diamond duck provided Baroda the perfect start and they took on the Delhi batsmen thereon. Dhruv Shorey played sensational innings but wasn’t able to stay till the end. However, he left Delhi in a position where run-a-ball was all they needed. In a matter of time, Delhi skipper Sangwan finished the innings and took them over the line with a boundary.

Brief Scores

Jharkhand vs Rajasthan

Jharkhand: 157/5 in 20 overs (Virat Singh 43; Aditya Garhwal 2/15)

Rajasthan: 158/6 in 19.1 overs (Aditya Garhwal 43; Varun Aaron 2/24)

Uttar Pradesh vs Bengal

Uttar Pradesh: 235/3 in 20 overs (Suresh Raina 126*, Akshdeep Nath 80)

Bengal: 160/10 in 16.1 overs (Shreevats Goswami 57; Kuldeep Yadav 4/26)

Punjab vs Mumbai

Mumbai: 198/4 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 79; Mayank Markande 2/32)

Punjab: 199/7 in 19.2 overs (Gurkeerat Singh 43, Yuvraj Singh 40; Shivam Dubey 3/27)

Delhi vs Baroda

Baroda: 140/8 in 20 overs (Kedar Devdhar 77; Suboth Bhati 4/20)

Delhi: 143/8 in 19.1 overs (Dhruv Shorey 74; Lukman Meriwala 4/24)