Punjab lose by 35 runs

Indore, February 22 

Led by pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, Mumbai defended a modest 156-run target as they defeated Punjab by 35 runs in their Group C match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, registering their second successive win in the premier domestic T20 tournament.

The Punjab bowlers, led by medium-pacer Baltej Singh (3/30) and left-arm seamer Barinder Singh Sran (3/34), bundled out a formidable Mumbai for a modest 155 in their 20 overs. Suryakumar Yadav was Mumbai’s top-scorer as he hit a quickfire 80 in just 49 balls. 

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane (0) and Prithvi Shaw (8) had another failure as Mumbai slumped to 8/2 early on. But the in-form Iyer (46) and Yadav stitched a crucial 126-run stand for the third wicket. After Iyer’s dismissal, Siddhesh Lad went for a duck and then Mumbai lost wickets in a heap and eventually folded up for 155.

Punjab opener Prabhsimran Singh gave Mumbai a scare with a blazing 54 in just 20 balls, an innings studded with six boundaries and four sixes. But he lacked support from his opening partner Shubman Gill (1) and Mandeep Singh (5). Gurkeerat Mann (24) got a start but failed to convert it into a big score. All other Punjab batsmen, including Yuvraj Singh, had an off day in office as their innings folded up at 120 in 18.2 overs. Kulkarni (4/22) was ably supported by Shubham Ranjane (2/14), while Shams Mulani (1/26), Shardul Thakur (1/42) and Tushar Deshpande (1/15) picked a wicket each to fashion Mumbai’s victory. 

HP win

HP beat Meghalaya by 65 runs in their Group B encounter. Haryana beat Odisha by 10 runs in their Group D encounter in Cuttack. — PTI/TNS

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

• Mumbai: 155 all out in 20 overs (Surya Kumar Yadav 80, Shreyas Iyer 46; Baltej Singh 3/30); Punjab: 120 all out in 18.2 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 54, Gurkeerat Mann 24; Dhawal Kulkarni 4/22) 
• HP: 207/4 in 20 overs (AK Bains 68, PS Chopra 53; Neetesh Sharma 1/17); Meghalaya: 142/6 in 20 overs (Gurinder Singh 49*, Yogesh Nagar 44; Ankit Rajan Maini 3/24) 
• Haryana: 141 all out in 19.5 overs (Suryakant Pradhan 3/31, Pappu Roy 3/9); Odisha: 131/5 in 20 overs (Biplab Samantray 48, Arabind Singh 34*; Ajit Chahal 2/27)
• J&K: 168/9 in 20 overs (Jatin Wadhwan 47, Manzoor Dar 39; Rahul Shukla 5/36); Jharkhand: 170/1 in 16.4 overs (Ishan Kishan 100, Anand Singh 48; Umar Nazir 1/34)