India U-19 skipper Ayush Mhatre continued his blazing form with a second consecutive hundred in Mumbai's dominant nine-wicket victory over Andhra in a Group A match of the Syed Mshtaq Ali Trophy, in Lucknow on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 160, Mhatre (104 not out off 59 balls) overshadowed national T20 skipper Surykumar Yadav (31 not out off 21 balls) in an unbroken stand of 105, which came off just 9.4 overs.
Mhatre's innings had nine sixes and five fours and he was particularly severe on former MI pacer Satyanarayana Raju, who was smashed for 37 in two overs. Veteran pacer CV Stephen went for 45 in his three overs.
Most of Mhatre's shots were on the on-side with as many as eight of his nine maximums hit in the arc between deep mid-wicket and long-on.
The 18-year-old Mhatre, who has been retained by Chennai Super Kings, has now hit 19 sixes across three SMAT games this season.
Samson stars for Kerala
Sanju Samson found his mojo back in a familiar opening position, smashing five sixes in a 15-ball-43 as Kerala cantered home by eight wickets against Chattisgarh in an afternoon game.
Batting first, Chattisgarh could manage only 120 in 19.5 overs with former CSK seamer KM Asif grabbing 3 for 16. His victims included Punjab Kings batter Shashank Singh, who was out for a duck.
Only Sanjeet Desai (35 off 23 balls) managed to connect a few big hits but the Chattisgarh innings never had the momentum.
On a flat deck, Kerala raced past the finishing line in just 10.4 overs with Samson taking the charge at the top of the order.
Since the Asia Cup, Samson had been pushed down the batting order for India as Shubman Gill started opening alongside World No.1 T20 batter Abhishek Sharma.
Samson never looked comfortable in the middle order and that he enjoys opening was proved against Chattisgarh as he made the chase feel like a walk in the park.
He hit seamer Ravi Kiran behind square and through mid-wicket for two sixes and left-arm wrist spinner Ajay Mandal for three identical shots over deep mid-wicket boundary. Kerala had raced to 72 by the fifth over before Kiran had him holed out by Anand Rao.
However, Kerala didn't face any problem chasing the target.
Riyan Parag flops for Assam
The highly-rated Riyan Parag scored a painstaking 14 off 19 balls for Assam, who lost a low-scoring Group A league game to Railways by three wickets.
Batting first, Assam managed only 132 for 7 with Riyan, who had already captained IPL team Rajasthan Royals, wasting too many deliveries. Had Sahil Jain not scored 38 off 29 balls, Assam wouldn't have crossed 125.
While chasing, Railways were 115 for 7 at one stage with 18 needed off last 13 balls. Veteran skipper Karn Sharma (24 not out off 16 balls) ended with a flourish, hitting two fours and two sixes. He ended the game with a six.
Brief scores:
Chattisgarh 120 in 19.5 overs (Sanjeet Desai 35, KM Asif 3/16) lost to Kerala 121/2 in 10.4 overs (Sanju Samson 43) 8 wickets.
Assam 132/7 in 20 overs (Sahil Jain 38, Karn Sharma 2/23) lost to Railways 135/7 in 19.4 overs (Karn Sharma 24 not out) by 3 wickets.
Andhra 159/7 in 20 overs (Ricky Bhui 48, Tushar Deshpande 3/25) lost to Mumbai 162/1 in 15.2 overs (Ayush Mhatre 104 not out, Suryakumar Yadav 31 not out) by 9 wickets.
Odisha 160/6 (Sambit Baral 46, Darshan Nalkande 2/48) lost to Vidarbha 163/2 in 14.5 overs (Aman Mokhade 73 not, Dhruv Shorey 69 not out) by 8 wickets.
Vohra''s 72 powers Chandigarh against Maharashtra
Opener Manan Vohra smashed a 48-ball 72 to guide Chandigarh to a five-wicket win over Maharashtra in their Elite Group B match in Kolkata.
Asked to bat first, Maharashtra rode on opener Arshin Kulkarni's 41-ball 47 and handy contributions from Nikhil Naik (24) and Vicky Ostwal (28) to post a below-par 139 for seven.
Sandeep Sharma (2/18) picked up two wickets, while Jagjit Singh (1/25), Nikhil Sharma (1/23), Rahul Singh (1/29) and Bhagmender Lather (1/27) chipped in with one apiece.
Chasing a modest target, Chandigarh were reduced to 43 for three in 6.2 overs before Vohra, who struck nine fours and two sixes in his 48-ball effort, steadied the innings and anchored the chase.
The team eventually got home with two balls to spare.
Vohra added 55 runs for the fourth wicket with Nikhil Thakur (36) to take Chandigarh to 98 before Prashant Solanki (1/22) broke the stand. Lather (13) then added valuable runs before being run out by Prithvi Shaw at 132 in the 19th over.
Vohra and Nikhil Sharma (5 not out) completed the formalities to seal the win.
For Maharashtra, RajvardhanHangargekar (1/25), Jalaj Saxena (1/27), Vicky Ostwal (1/26) and Solanki (1/22) took a wicket each.
Hyderabad beat Goa
In another Group B encounter at the Eden Gardens, Pragnay Reddy's unbeaten 34-ball 67 overshadowed Lalit Yadav's whirlwind 85 as Hyderabad notched up a seven-wicket win over Goa.
Sent in to bat, Goa were struggling at 67 for 4 before Lalit plundered 10 fours and three sixes in his sensational 48-ball 85 not out to lift them to 160 for 4 in 20 overs.
Chasing the target, Aman Rao (40) and Reddy added 71 runs for the second wicket to lay a strong foundation.
Aman and Rahul Buddhi (18) departed in quick succession, but Reddy ensured Hyderabad crossed the line with 36 balls to spare.
At Jadavpur University, Madhya Pradesh dished out an all-round effort to defeat Uttar Pradesh by 37 runs.
Asked to bat, Harsh Gawli (49), Rajat Patidar (43), Ankush Singh (31) and Harpreet Singh (33) made useful contributions as MP posted a competitive 184 for seven.
In reply, UP folded for 147 in 18.4 overs despite a 42-ball 65 from Rinku Singh. Shivam Shukla (3/36) and Rahul Batham (3/33) claimed three wickets each, while Kumar Kartikeya (2/24) bagged two to derail the chase.
Later in the day, Jammu & Kashmir registered a 34-run win over Bihar in another group B match.
Opting to bat, opener Qamran Iqbal blasted a 40-ball 64-run knock to steer J & K to 159 for nine and then returned to restrict Bihar to 125 for nine in the stipulated 20 overs.
Auqib Nabi was the most successful bowler, taking four wickets, while Yudhvir Singh (2/20) and Murugan Ashwin (2/23) snapped two each.
Brief scores:
Chandigarh 142/5 in 19.4 overs (Manan Vohra 72; Prashant Solanki 1/22) beat Maharashtra 139/7 (Arshin Kulkarni 47; Sandeep Sharma 2/18) by 5 wickets.
Hyderabad 166/3 in 14 overs (Pragnay Reddy 67; Vikas Singh 22) beat Goa 160/4 in 20 overs (Lalit Yadav 85; Tanay Thyagarajan 2/20) by 7 wickets.
Madhya Pradesh 184/7 in 20 overs (Harsh Gawli 49, Rajat Patidar 43; Vipraj Nigam 2/36) beat Uttar Pradesh 147 all out in 18.4 overs (Rinku Singh 65; Shivam Shukla 3/36, Rahul Batham 3/33).
J&K 159 for nine in 20 overs (Qamran Iqbal 64; Sakib Hussain 2/30, Sakibul Gani 2/31) beat Bihar 125 for nine in 20 overs (Akash Raj 28; Auqib Nabi 4/16) by 34 runs.
Record-breaking Abhishek Sharma flattens Bengal
The record-breaking Abhishek Sharma bludgeoned the Mohammed Shami-led Bengal attack into submission with a brutal 52-ball 148, which comprised a staggering 16 sixes, to power Punjab to a 112-run win in a Group C match in Hyderbad.
Playing in the manner that best defines his batting, Abhishek raced to a 12-ball half-century, which is the joint-third-fastest fifty and joint-second-fastest by an Indian in men's T20 cricket.
Thanks to his explosive knock against an incisive attack spearheaded by seasoned campaigner Shami and the nippy Akash Deep, Punjab amassed an imposing 310 for five batting first.
Bengal were stopped at 198 for nine in their allotted 20 overs despite a 66-ball 130-run knock by skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, who also hit eight sixes and 13 fours.
In terms of sixes struck in a T20 innings by an Indian, Abhishek is now placed second in the list behind Punit Bisht (17), who got it in a domestic game against Mizoram.
Opening the batting with Prabhsimran Singh (70 off 35 balls), Abhishek launched into a brutal onslaught on the likes of Shami, Akash Deep, Writtick Chatterjee and Shahbaz Ahmed.
The Bengal bowlers were scurrying for cover as Abhishek found the sixes and fours at will at the same Uppal stadium, where he blazed away to a 55-ball 141 for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Punjab Kings in the last Indian Premier League.
The swashbuckling opener scored his runs at more than 15 runs an over against both Shami (1/61 in 4 overs) and Akash Deep (2/55 in 4 overs) as well as Saksham Choudhary (1/35 in 2 overs) and Chatterjee (0/67 in 4 overs).
Abhishek smashed five fours and as many sixes to get to his fifty, playing only one dot ball in the 12 balls he had faced to get to the mark.
With this effort, the 25-year-old Abhishek also broke his own record for most T20 sixes in a calendar year.
Punjab's total is the second highest in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, behind Baroda's 349 for five against Sikkim in Indore in December 2024.
While Sahil Chauhan holds the record for the fastest century in T20 cricket, achieving it in 27 balls for Estonia against Cyprus last year, Abhishek got to his hundred in 32 balls on Sunday.
Abhishek and Prabhsimran added 205 runs for the opening stand in little over 13 overs, and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar then returned excellent figures of 4/23 in four overs on a day when all the other bowlers were taken to the cleaners.
As far as Bengal batters were concerned, Akash Deep (31 off 7 balls) was the only other batter to get to double digit besides their captain Easwaran.
Brief scores:
Punjab 310/5 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 148, Prabhsimran Singh 70) beat Bengal 198/9 in 20 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 130; Harpreet Brar 4/23) by 112 runs.
Himachal Pradesh 142/8 in 20 overs (Innesh Mahajan 50; Mahesh Pithiya 2/23, Raj Limbani 2/29) lost to Baroda 144/5 in 17.1 overs (Shashwat Rawat 47, Jitesh Sharma 41; Mridul Surroch 2/20, Divesh Sharma 2/23) by 5 wickets.
Puducherry 109/9 in 20 overs (Ajay Rohera 29; Pulkit Narang 3/19, Mohit Jangra 2/22) lost to Services 112/3 in 13.5 overs (Mohit Ahlawat 46) by 7 wickets.
Haryana 142 all out in 19.3 overs (Yashvardhan Dalal 51; Nagwaswalla 3/16, Harshal Patel 3/26) lost to Gujarat 143/6 in 20 overs (Saurav Chauhan not out 81; Anshul Kamboj 2/25, Sumit Kumar 2/31) by 4 wickets.
Ishan Kishan's 100 powers Jharkhand
India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan gave a timely reminder of his T20 prowess with a blistering 50-ball 113 that powered Jharkhand to an eight-wicket victory over Tripura in their Group D match in Ahmedabad.
During his unbeaten knock, Kishan smashed 10 fours and eight sixes as Jharkhand overhauled Tripura's 182 for seven with 15 balls to spare, making 185 for two.
The knock will stand the left-arm batter in good stead at a time when the national selectors meet soon to pick up India's T20I squad for the upcoming series against South Africa.
Kishan got adequate support from Virat Singh, who made an unbeaten 53 off 40 balls.
Rajasthan win thriller
Later, Rajasthan survived a late-order assault from Karnataka to register a tense one-run win.
Rajasthan posted a handy 201 for five in 20 overs, and Karnataka came very close before ending up at 200 for eight.
Karnataka faltered in their chase of 202, losing skipper Mayank Agarwal and KL Shrijith early to get reduced to 19 for two.
They were 51 for three with the departure of DevduttPadikkal (32, 23 balls).
But the first hint of fightback came through an 82-run partnership between Karun Nair (51, 32b) and R Smaran (48 not out, 31b).
Karnataka were sailing well at 133 for three in 14.5 overs, but they lost Karun, Abhinav Manohar, Shreyas Gopal and Praveen Dubey cheaply, sliding to 155 for seven in 17.3 overs.
The timing too deserted Samran's batting at this stage and unfortunately he could not recover his touch.
But Vidyadhar Patil (27, 8b, 3x6, 2x4) used the long handle to good effect to take Karnataka to 184 in 18.5 overs before getting out to pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti (3/52).
With 15 runs needed off the last over, a six by Vysakh Vijayakumar and a four by Smaran got Karnataka as close as three runs off the last ball, but all they could manage was a solitary run to fall agonisingly close to the target.
Earlier, quick 40s by Deepak Hooda, Kartik Sharma and MahipalLomror helped Rajasthan post a formidable total.
Pacers Vidyadhar and Vysakh took two wickets apiece for Karnataka.
Rajasthan are now second in Group D with 12 points from three matches, same as Jharkhand but the latter leads owing to a better net run-rate — 1.4 against 0.82.
Karnataka are now fifth on the table with just four points from three games.
Delhi beat Saurashtra
Delhi moved up to third on the points table with eight points, courtesy a 10-run win over Saurashtra.
After making 207 for four, Delhi managed to keep the hosts to 197 for five.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan 201/5 in 20 overs (Mahipal Lomror 48 not out, Kartik Sharma 46, Deepak Hooda 43, Bharat Sharma 38; Vidyadhar Patil 2/41, Vysakh Vijayakumar 2/39) beat Karnataka 200/8 in 20 overs (Karun Nair 51, R Smaran 48 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 32; Ashok Sharma 3/43, Kamlesh Nagarkoti 3/52) by 1 run.
Tripura 182/7 in 20 overs (Vijay Shankar 59, Bikram Kumar Das 42, M Murasingh 42; Anukul Roy 2/29) lost to Jharkhand 185/2 in 17.3 overs (Ishan Kishan 113 not out, Virat Singh 53 not out) by 8 wickets.
Uttarakhand 164/6 in 20 overs (Yuvraj Choudhary 74, Kunal Chandela 47) lost to Tamil Nadu 168/5 in 17.1 overs (Ravichandran Rajkumar 93 not out; Yuvraj Choudhary 2/21).
Delhi 207/4 in 20 overs (Nitish Rana 76, Yash Dhull 47, Ayush Badoni 33) beat Saurashtra 197/5 in 20 overs (Prerak Mankad 50, Ruchit Ahir 39 not out, Harvik Desai 32; Suyash Sharma 3/20) by 10 runs.
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