Arjun’s ton takes city to final

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 14 

A fine century by Arjun Azad (105) helped Chandigarh defeat Mohali by three wickets to enter the finals of the Punjab Inter-District Cricket Championship for DP Azad Trophy at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium here today.

Winning the toss and opting to bat, Mohali posted 251 runs before they were bowled out in 49.2 overs. Anshul Negi (94 off 116 balls, with 11 boundaries and one six) was the highest scorer for the side. He was supported by Prabhjeet Singh (78 off 88 balls, with seven boundaries and a six) and Gurmehar Singh (29). Amit Shukla (3/40) and Yuvraj Chaudhary (3/51) were the pick of the bowlers. Raj Angad (1/32), Jashanjot (1/17) and Mandeep Singh (1/51) got one wicket each.

In reply, Chandigarh posted 255/7 in 49.1 overs. Openers Ishan Goyal and Azad posted a 101-run partnership before the former was dismissed by Anshul Negi for 33 off 58 balls, with four boundaries. Azad was joined by Jashonjot Singh and the duo raised an 88-run partnership for the second wicket to take the total to 189. The partnership was broken by Ashwin when he accounted for Azad (105 off 116 balls, with 14 boundaries). 

Thereafter, Surya Narayan (13), Yuvraj Chaoudhary (10), Raj Angad (8) and Nipon (10) scored valuable contributions to confirm an easy win. Ashwini, Anshul Negi and Anshul Chaudhary claimed two wickets each for the bowling side.

Amit shines for Amritsar 

Chandigarh will face Amritsar in the final of the championship on June 17. In their last league encounter, Amritsar defeated Jalandhar by seven wickets. Winning the toss, Jalandhar were bowled out for 147 runs in 48.4 overs after struggling at 80/9 in 32 overs. Azam Nazar and Raghav Sharma added 67 runs for the last wicket to get Jalandhar close to 150. Nazar scored 93 off 122 balls, with 11 boundaries and three sixes, while Sharma remained unbeaten on 1 off 31 balls. 

Amit Kumar (4/37), Dipanshu (2/24) and Manroop Singh (2/19) did most of the damage with the ball. In reply, Amritsar scored 150/3 in 38.1 overs. Sahil Sharma scored 57 off 72 balls, with 10 boundaries, and Puru Sharma made 38 off 61 balls. The duo put on 40 runs for the third wicket. After Sahil Sharma’s departure, Manproop Singh joined Puru and the two took the team’s total to 150. They raised an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 57 runs. Raghav Sharma, Lovepreet Singh and Saurav Ratan claimed a wicket each.

Patiala trounce Bathinda by 10 wickets

In their last league match, hosts Patiala recorded a 10-wicket win over Bathinda. The visitors were sent back to the pavilion for 99 runs in 34.5 overs. Shiv Kumar (30 off 58 balls) and Uday Paratap Singh Saran (25 off 53 balls) added 52 runs for the fifth wicket. Abjal Ali (3/18), Deepak Kumar (3/25) and Anurag Vats (2/ 16) were the most successful bowlers. 

In reply, Patiala’s openers Pukhraj Singh and Hareen Goel scored 102 runs in 8.4 overs to record an emphatic win against Bathinda. Pukhraj scored 61 off 24 balls, studded with seven boundaries and four sixes, while Goel remained unbeaten on 37 off 28 balls.

Nehal Wadhera scores ton 

Riding on a brilliant century by Nehal Wadhera (117 off 115 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes), Ludhiana registered a 179-run victory over Ropar. Winning the toss and opting to bat, Ludhiana amassed 293/4 in 50 overs. Wadhera was involved in a 117-run second-wicket stand with Jaish Jain (75 off 93 balls) and a 118-run fourth-wicket partnership with Vaibhav Kalra (68 off 48 balls). Kabir Rana and Sarabjit Singh claimed a wicket each for the bowling side. In reply, Ropar were bundled out for 114 runs in 35 overs. 

Himanshu (56) and Sasksham Gupta (19) were the main scorers for the side. Jaish Jain (5/32) claimed a five-wicket haul, while Amitoz (2/19) and Gurmehar (2/24) took two wickets each.