Confident city boys face formidable Mohali in final

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 17

High on confidence, city boys would been keen to avenge their subjugation to Mohali when they take on the neighbours in the U-16 ML Markan Trophy final at the PCA Stadium tomorrow.  

Chandigarh scored an innings win over defending champions Patiala at Dhruv Pandove Stadium in the semifinals and the side led by Yuvraj Choudhary would look to carry forward the winning momentum into the final. 

The city side, however, had an inconsistent run in the tournament so far and any weakness against Mohali could cost them the title.   

Opener Harnoor Singh and middle-order batsman Raj Angad after scoring centuries in the opening match haven't been able to make significant contributions to side and the team would expect them to perform in the finals. 

Suraj Patle along with Manav Malik have rescued the team in tricky situations and the duo needs to keep up the good work in the final.

Mohali, on the other hand, have batted out most of their opponents in the tournament so far and the side would once again rely on their strength to outsmart Chandigarh. 

In their last meeting, Mohali had took a solid 102-run first innings lead against Chandigarh to draw home the advantage.

The side would also take confidence from its excellent show against Jalandhar in the semifinals, where they scored 675/5 with middle-order batsmen Rajinder Singh and Anshul Negi hitting double tons. 

The only concern for the hosts, though, is that they have not been able to bowl out their oppositions twice and the side would certainly like to improve in the department when they take the field tomorrow. 

Chandigarh, meanwhile, have been led well by Choudhary so far, and the skipper would once again like to lead form the front in the final. 

With two five-wicket hauls and a ton under his belt, the skipper would certainly have a vital role to play with both ball and bat on a pitch which generally plays true to its nature.  

Meanwhile, the match will be supervised by Ranji Trophy panel umpires Ranjiv Sharma and PCA panel umpire Anup Kumar. Balbir Singh from Patiala will be the match referee, said a PCA official.  

The match will be watched by the members of the PCA junior selection committee, the official added.