Punjab win BCCI Men’s U-23 title, Harnoor Man of Series

Punjab emerged as the champion of the BCCI Men’s U-23 State A Trophy by recording a 56-run win over Gujarat in a thrilling final in Kolkata. Punjab claimed the coveted title, further cementing its prominence in the domestic cricket circuit. Punjab opener Harnoor Singh, former U-19 World Cup winning star batter, won the Man of Series award.

Gujarat skipper Priyesh won the toss and put Punjab to bat. The decision backfired, as Harnoor posted a stunning ton to help the side achieve 317/8 in the allotted 50 overs.

Harnoor Singh scored his second century of the tournament by smashing 100 of 103 balls, with 10 boundaries and two sixes. He opened the innings with Karteek Sharma (39). After Sharma made an exit, skipper Uday Saharan helped Harnoor raise a 132-run stand for the second wicket. Saharan scored 59. Later, Ridham Satyawan scored 68 and helped Punjab reach a commanding position. Salil Arora (30) was the other scorer for the side as others failed to make contributions to the total. Jay Malsure and Bhavya Chouhan claimed two wickets each, while Aarya Desai and Krish Amit Gupta picked one each for the bowling side.

In reply, Punjab bowlers restricted Gujarat to a score of 261 in 47.1 overs. Ayush Goel and Aryaman Dhaliwal claimed three wickets each, and Krish Bhagat bagged two. Emanjot Singh Chahal also picked one as Punjab lifted the title. Aarya Desai (76), along with Priyesh (63), were the two main performers with the bat for Gujarat.

Punjab’s journey to the final was powered by stellar performances from skipper Saharan and Harnoor, who scored centuries in a commanding six-wicket win over Haryana in the semifinals. Dilsher Khanna, secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association, lauded the team’s exceptional performance.