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Himachal Pradesh has reached the finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2022 after a 13-run victory over Punjab in the first semi-final played at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Middle-order batter Sumeet Verma scored an attacking 51 off 25 balls with three fours and as many sixes while captain Rishi Dhawan took 3/25 off his four overs to help Himachal Pradesh reach the finals of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2022.
Himachal Pradesh produced a 13-run victory over Punjab by successfully defending their target of 177 to march to the #SyedMushtaqAliT20 #Final! đź‘Źđź‘Ź #PUNvHP | #SF1 | @mastercardindia
Here’s how the action unfolded 🎥 🔽https://t.co/crEMg4w8Fz pic.twitter.com/q3aiRvKEDZ
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) November 3, 2022
After being asked to bat first, Sumeet’s 51 (25) and Akash Vashisht’s 43 (25) with four fours and two sixes helped Himachal put a strong total of 176/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
At the start of the innings, Abhishek Sharma took two wickets to have Himachal down to 51/3 in 8.2 overs. But, Verma and Vasisth’s 45-run stand for the fourth wicket put the innings back on the right track.
Verma was more aggressive in his strokeplay hitting three sixes and as many fours from 25 balls at a strike rate of 204. He took Mayank Markande on charge by hitting 4, 6, 6 off successive deliveries at the start of the 10th over before welcoming Harpreet Brar back into the attack with a six and a four more.
Verma fell soon after completing his fifty in just 23 balls. Thereafter, Vasisht took the responsibility and along with Pankaj Jaiswal added a crucial 47-run stand for the sixth wicket. Pankaj’s crucial 27 off 16 deliveries with two fours and one six at a strike rate of 168.75 helped Himachal put a competitive total of 176/7 in 20 overs.
In reply, opener Shubman Gill looked solid for his 45 off 32 with six fours and one six at the top but he didn’t get much support from his teammates at the other end. Abhishek Sharma was dismissed on 1 (7) in the fourth over of the innings by Dhawan while wicket-keeper batter Prabhsimran Singh scored 8 (10) before being dismissed by Kanwar Abhinay as Himachal Pradesh reduced Punjab to 32/2 in the powerplay.
However, Punjab were left in a spot of bother at 61/3 after the dismissal of Gill on 45 (32). Anmolpreet Singh’s 30 (25) with three fours and one six helped Punjab then cross the 100-run mark while late identical cameos of 29 off 15 from skipper Mandeep Singh and Ramandeep Singh lower down the order kept the chase alive for their side.
However, Rishi Dhawan struck at crucial intervals to push Punjab back. After removing Abhishek in the fourth over, he returned to break the fourth-wicket partnership of 37 runs off 23 balls between Verma and Vasisht and then again took a crucial wicket by dismissing Ramandeep on the last ball of the penultimate over.
Requiring 29 off the final over, Punjab skipper Mandeep’s one four and a six went in vain as they fell short of 13 runs to finish at a total of 163/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
Brief scores: Himachal Pradesh 176/7 in 20 overs (Sumeet Verma 51, Akash Vasisht 43; Abhishek Sharma 2-20, Sanvir Singh 2-17) beat Punjab 163/7 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 45, Mandeep Singh 29 not out, Ramandeep Singh 29; Rishi Dhawan 3-25, Mayank Dagar 2-27) by 13 runs
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