Syed Mushtaq Ali Zonal T20 League 2018 - Day 1 Round up

India’s biggest domestic T20 of the year, The Syed Mushtaq Ali Zonal T20 League as kick-started in the Western side of the country. Previous year’s Ranji Champions Gujarat took on Maharashtra in the first game and it was followed by the game between Baroda and Mumbai. The first day saw two very close games and it gives an idea as to what will come as the tournament progresses.

Deepak Hooda’s Baroda registered a comprehensive victory against a very strong Mumbai unit. Baroda’s top 4 chipped in with crucial knocks to help their side post a mammoth total. K Devdhar, Urvil Patel, Krunal Pandya, and Deepak Hooda went berserk and this helped Baroda post a total in excess of 200.

The skipper led from the front and registered 66 runs off 39 balls. Krunal Pandya keeps knocking on the doors of the Indian selectors with another bright show. Mumbai’s bowlers traveled to all sides of the park and conceded 210 runs, picking up just 3 wickets.

But the Mumbai batsmen made the game interesting with a brilliant exhibition. Jay Gokul Bista and Siddesh Lad stitched 78 runs for the second wicket and whilst they were on, the game was hanging in balance. But as wickets kept tumbling at the other end, Siddesh Lad couldn’t do much.

Although Siddesh Lad was dismissed for an excellent 82 off 51 balls, Shivam Dubey stroked a brilliant cameo. His 33 off 14 balls brought Mumbai very close. But losing too many wickets in the middle overs eventually had a significant impact on the result. Mumbai scored 197 in their 20 overs, losing the game by 13 runs.

A stellar run chase from Maharashtra

The second game of the day went very close as well. Maharashtra’s Nikhil Naik played the innings of his life under pressure to help his side complete a thrilling chase. Batting first, Gujarat posted 151 runs on the board in their 20 overs. Skipper Axar Patel stroked a 32-ball 38 and helped them gain some momentum.

But the savior of Gujarat’s innings was Chirag Gandhi, who scored 61 off 37 balls. After losing 5 wickets for 45 runs, both Gandhi and Axar stitched 57 runs for the 6th wicket. Gandhi remained not out until the end to help his side post a decent total. It was a spectacular comeback from Gujarat despite an alarming start.

Ruturaj Gaikwad played gave a strong start for Maharashtra in the run chase. But very much similar to Gujarat, they lost four wickets inside 19 runs, which saw them at 49/4 in 8 overs. They were clearly running out of contention to pull off a favorable result and in walked Nikhil Naik to turn the game on its head.

He first stitched an important partnership with Prayag Bhati and then with the help of Divyang Himganekar, he brought the game very close. Towards the end, there was a lot of drama. But ultimately, Naik’s perseverance paid off as he led his side to a thumping win with three balls remaining.

Brief Scores

Baroda v Mumbai, West Zone

Baroda: 210/3 in 20 overs (Deepak Hooda 66, Urvil Patel 50, Krunal Pandya 44*)

Mumbai: 197/8 in 20 overs (Siddesh Lad 82; Atit Sheth 3/31)

Gujarat v Maharashtra, West Zone

Gujarat: 151/8 in 20 overs (Chirag Gandhi 61, Axar Patel 38; Domnic Muthuswami 4/27)

Maharashtra: 154/8 in 19.3 overs (Nikhil Naik 70*; Piyush Chawla 3/27)

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