SMAT 2025: Urvil, Rahane, Samson knocks highlights of action-packed day one

New Delhi [India], November 27 (ANI): A hard-hitting century from Gujarat skipper Urvil Patel and half-centuries from Ajinkya Rahane and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson were among the standouts on day one of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025 on Thursday.

In the Group C clash between Services and Gujarat, the latter chased down 183 set by Services on the back of a half-century from Gaurav Kochar (60 in 37 balls, with seven fours and two sixes), as Urvil, who was signed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as an injury replacement last IPL season, torched a 37-ball 119*, including 12 fours and 10 sixes alongside Aarya Desai (60 in 35 balls, with six fours and three sixes). Gujarat chased down the target with eight wickets in hand and 45 balls left. His 31-ball ton is the second-fastest by an Indian, with him holding the record for the fastest one with a 28-ball effort last year.

In the Group A clash between Railways and Mumbai, the former posted 158/5 in 20 overs, with Ashutosh Sharma (61 in 30 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) being a standout performer. Later in the run chase, Mumbai pulled off a comfortable win, with Rahane (62 in 33 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) and Suryakumar Yadav (47 in 30 balls, with five fours and two sixes) posting fine knocks to chase down the target in 15.5 overs with seven wickets left.

In another Group A clash, Kerala, powered by knocks from Rohan Kunnummal (121* in 60 balls, with 10 fours and 10 sixes) and Samson (51* in 41 balls, with six fours and a six) chased down 176 without losing a wicket against Odisha with 21 balls left.

During the Group C clash between Puducherry and Haryana, the latter was left five runs short of the target of 202 runs despite fifties from Arsh Ranga (90 in 47 balls, with six fours and seven sixes) and Yashvardhan Dalal (52 in 31 balls, with three fours and five sixes) as they could post only 196/6 in 20 overs. For Haryana, veteran spinner Yuzi Chahal (2/46) had a mixed outing as Puducherry made 201/9 with fifty from Pugazhendi Akash (60 in 23 balls, with three fours and five sixes) being the highest.

Baroda and Bengal also produced an entertaining Group C match, as Bhanu Pania (53* in 27 balls, with three fours and four sixes), skipper Krunal Pandya (39 in 30 balls, with a four and two sixes) and Shivalik Sharma (32 in 13 balls, with a four and three sixes) took Baroda to 181/8. Mohammed Shami (1/39) in four overs had a decent outing, while Writtick Chatterjee (2/38 in four overs) was the best bowler. Skipper Abishek Porel (50 in 24 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and Shahbaz Ahmed (38* in 21 balls, with three fours and two sixes) took Bengal to the target with six wickets and 17 balls in hand.

Harpreet Brar (2/14), the Punjab Kings (PBKS) spinner starred in his side's Group C win over Himachal Pradesh, with his spell playing a crucial role in restricting them to 147/8, with pacer Gurnoor Brar also getting two wickets. Stars Abhishek Sharma (4) and Prabhsimran Singh (13) flopped, but Anmolpreet Singh (43 in 27 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Ramandeep Singh (22* in seven balls, with two fours and two sixes) played a crucial role in Punjab chasing down the total in 13.5 overs with five wickets in hand.

In Group B, Vaibhav Suryavanshi (14) flopped for Bihar as Chandigarh chased down 158 runs set by them in 18.4 overs, with U19 World Cup 2022 star Raj Angad Bawa (36* in 22 balls, with four boundaries and a six and two wickets) playing an all-round role.

Shifting focus to Group B, Maharashtra (130 all out) registered a five-wicket loss to Jammu and Kashmir, with Auqib Nabi (3/28) being the top bowler for J&K and Abid Mushtaq (18* and 2/26) playing an all-round role. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (6) and Prithvi Shaw (5) flopped for MH.

In another Group B clash, UP pulled off a six-wicket win over Goa. Goa posted 172/9 on the back of an entertaining 72 in 35 balls, with four boundaries and six sixes from Abhinav Tejrana. Shivam Mavi (3/24) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/23) starred for UP with the ball. Aryan Juyal led from the front with explosive 93* in 57 balls, (with 11 fours and three sixes) while Rinku Singh (38 in 26 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) delivered fine finishes, taking UP to a win in 18.4 overs.

Coming to Group D, Delhi lost to Jharkhand by seven wickets, posting 132 in 19.2 overs with Priyansh Arya (39 in 29 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Ayush Badoni (30 in 26 balls, with three fours) being top-scorers for Delhi. Kumar Kushagra (45* in 31 balls, with three fours and sixes each) and Ishan Kishan (27 in 24 balls, with three fours and a six) led Jharkhand's successful chase in 14.5 overs.

In another Group D clash between Uttarakhand and Karnataka, latter's rising star Ravichandran Smaran (67 in 41 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) starred in his side's chase of 198 runs with five wickets in hand. (ANI)

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