Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22, Quarter-Finals: Karnataka clinch Super Over, Tamil Nadu, Vidarbha and Hyderabad qualify for semis

The Quarter-final stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 is done and dusted, and we have the four teams advancing to the semis. Defending champions Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad, Karnataka, and Vidarbha are the semi-finalists and would be raring to get the glory this time around. Meanwhile, all four quarter-final clashes took place on Thursday (November 18) and some mind-boggling action was witnessed between the bat and the ball.

While Hyderabad and Vidarbha won their respective knock-out games without much hassle, the other two fixtures went right down to the wire. In fact, the game between Bengal and Karnataka even advanced to the super over. Speaking of Qualifier 1, Kerala looked on command after posting 181/4 in their allotted 20 overs.

However, substantial contributions from Sai Sudharsan, Vijay Shankar, Shahrukh Khan, and Sanjay Yadav meant Tamil Nadu crossed the line in 19.3 overs, winning the contest by five wickets. Rajasthan had a match to forget against Vidarbha as they couldn’t even put up a respectable fight. Batting first at the Palam A Stadium in Delhi, Rajasthan were restricted to a paltry 84/8.

Karnataka record thrilling victory over Bengal

Vidarbha didn’t break a sweat while chasing the target and crossed the line in 14.5 overs, winning the clash by nine wickets. As mentioned above, the game between Bengal and Karnataka advanced to the super over. Karun Nair’s quickfire half-century took Karnataka to 160/5 in the first innings. In reply, Bengal lost wickets at regular intervals.

However, substantial contributions from multiple batters kept the Bengal side in the hunt. The game eventually resulted in a tie as Bengal’s score read exactly 160/8 in their allotted 20 overs. KC Cariappa’s brilliance with the ball meant Bengal lost both their wickets for five runs in the Super over. It took Karnataka only two balls to cross the line and make a place in the semi-finals.

The fourth and last semi-final saw Hyderabad thrashing Gujarat by 20 runs. Tilak Varma and Telukupalli Ravi Teja were the chief architects of Hyderabad’s win. Speaking of the semi-final fixtures, Tamil Nadu will be up against Hyderabad while Karnataka will cross swords with Vidarbha. The final clash would take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on November 22.