Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Semifinal 2: Punjab vs Baroda. (BCCI)Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Punjab vs Baroda Highlights: Baroda set up a summit clash with Tamil Nadu after defeating Punjab by 25 runs in the second semi-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.
After winning the toss, Punjab opted to bowl first. Kedar Devdhar (64) and Karthik Kakade (53*) guided Baroda to a challenging 160/3 at the end of 20 overs in the first innings. During the chase, Baroda assumed the driving seat by regularly scalping wickets with Lukman Meriwala registering figures of 3/28. The Devdhar-led team restricted Punjab to 135/8 in the second innings to win the semi-final.
Live Blog
Despite 17 runs coming in the last over of the chase, Punjab fail to reach the target and lose the semi-final by 25 runs. They said dew, they said bowling is tough, they said batting becomes easy but Baroda have shown some character despite losing the toss.
After Kakade removed Brar in the previous over, Punjab suffered another casualty. On the final ball of Sheth's over, Markande gifts his wicket to Kumar's hands by lofting it high in the air. They need 51 runs in the last two overs. Mission impossible now.
Punjab seem to be trouble as the required run-rate is touching 15 now. A wicket and eight runs in the last two overs. Still, Gurkeerat continues to show some fight with a six. Pathan exacts revenge and removes him with a caught out. BDA: 85/5 (14.5 overs)
Baroda have their third wicket! Punjab couldn't increase their run-rate and felt the pressure... and Anmolpreet finally paid the price. Rathva scalps his wicket with the help of Sheth's catch. The batsman walks back on 15. Next up, Ramandeep. BDA: 53/3 (9 overs)
Gurkeerat Singh (11*) comes on and with a statement for Punjab. He punishes Bhatt for a four and keeps the run-counter ticking for his team, providing confidence to his partner Anmolpreet (4*) at the other end. Nine runs off the over. PUN: 35/2 (6 overs)
Ever since Meriwala crippled the opening attack of Punjab with a wicket-maiden in the second over, they have gone inside a shell. Simran (15) tried to be adventurous with a couple of fours but he loses his wicket to Meriwala again. Trouble? PUN: 21/2 (4 overs)
Simran Singh and Abhishek Sharma are at the crease. Atit Sheth opens the attack and he gets smacked by Sharma on the third ball of the innings... straight to the ropes. Punjab are off to a confident start, but can they maintain the run-rate? PUN: 6/0 (1 over)
With 24 runs in the final two overs, Baroda finish their exciting innings on 160/3 at the end of 20 overs. Devdhar led the way with his 64 until he was dismissed by Sandeep, but Kakade (53*) and Seth (9*) comfortably guided their team to a challenging total.
Way to go! Kakade lifts his bat after scoring his fifty in 37 balls. Five fours and two sixes to go with it. BDA: 142/2 (18.3 overs)
Both the batsmen look like men on a mission as they continue with their partnership quite bravely. Facing Kaul, Devdhar lifts the ball high in the air for a huge maximum and brings up his fifty in 42 balls. Kakade's on 43 at the other end. BDA: 129/2 (17 overs)
The floodgates have opened now! Kakade goes berserk as he smacks Markande for a six, and then continues his hot streak in the next over. A four and a six against Brar, and suddenly Baroda are back in it. 25 runs in last two overs. BDA: 100/2 (14 overs)
Things have slowed down on the batting front ever since Solanki fell to Markande. Kakade and Devdhar are taking it slow now, trying to save their wickets for the death overs. Brar and Markande are still looking for the third wicket. BDA: 75/2 (12 overs)
After an economical over by Brar, Markande does the deed for Punjab. He removes the dangerous Solanki with a brilliant delivery which caught the batsman plumb between the wickets. A big, big wicket! The batsman departs on 12. BDA: 57/2 (8.2 overs)
A flurry of boundaries! Baroda are back to the way they started the innings as Solanki (6*) and Devdhar (21*) pummel Arshdeep throughout the over with three boundaries. The 13-run over helps Baroda close the powerplay on a high. BDA: 44/1 (6 overs)
Breakthrough! After his tight opening over, Kaul reaps the rewards of the pressure he put on Rathva. The batsman fails to deal with a knuckle ball just outside off stump and gets castled on 15. Next up, the destructive Vishnu Solanki. BDA: 28/1 (4.1 overs)
After the blistering opening over, Devdhar joined the party with a six against the young Arshdeep Singh. Kaul comes into the attack and tries to slow down the openers. Sharma continues his spell and concedes just two runs in his second over. BDA: 28/0 (4 overs)
Kedar Devdhar and Ninad Rathva are at the crease. Sandeep Sharma opens the attack and he gets immediately punished by Rathva by two well-timed boundaries. Baroda are off to a good start as they get 11 runs from the first over. BDA: 11/0 (1 over)
Baroda (Playing XI): Kedar Devdhar(c), Smit Patel(w), Vishnu Solanki, Abhimanyu Rajput, Ninad Rathva, Atit Sheth, Bhanu Pania, Babashafi Pathan, Lukman Meriwala, Bhargav Bhatt, Karthik Kakade
Punjab (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Simran Singh(w), Mandeep Singh(c), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Mayank Markande, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma, Arshdeep Singh
Punjab have won the toss and have opted to field. "We will bowl first because of the dew factor. If the dew comes in the pitch should be better for batting. We have the experience in our squad. Same team for us," said Mandeep Singh.
Tamil Nadu progressed to the final earlier, and now it's time to find out who will be the other finalist. Punjab or Baroda? Stay tuned.
Tamil Nadu are into the final after beating Rajasthan by 7 wickets. Brilliant batting from half-centurion Arun Karthik, who won the match in style with a boundary, even though his side needed just one run to win. If Punjab were to meet TN in the Finals, then it would be the replay of the 2007 Final where TN got across the line.
Rajasthan have dropped two back-to-back catches in one over. Tamil Nadu are on the verge of winning the semifinal clash, need four runs in final two overs.
Arun Karthik looks like he is in a hurry - he collects a four and a six off Aniket Choudhary as TN are 134/3 after 16 overs, need 21 runs in 24 balls.
Arun Karthik brings up half-century but does not celebrate, with his eyes on the ball. He then brings up 50-run stand with Dinesh at the end of the 15th over. TN are 119/3 after 15 overs, need 36 runs in 30 balls.
Rajasthan fail to make the most of a confusion between Arun and Dinesh. Arun survives as keeper Bharat Sharma misses his shy at the striker's end. Arun makes him regret it by collecting four off the next ball. Dinesh Karthik then collects three boundaries in the next over as TN are 112/3 after 14 overs, need 43 runs in 36 balls.
Just when Jaggi & KB looked like steadying the ship with a 50, Jaggi falls to Ravi Bishnoi, bowling his first over of the match. Dinesh Karthik joins Arun Karthik. TN are 70/3 at the half way mark, need 85 runs in 60 balls.
Karthik brings up Tamil Nadu's 50 with a boundary off Khaleel before fetching another four in the next over off Chandrapal Singh. TN are 60/2 after 9 overs.
Tamil Nadu are starting to come back in the game by the end of powerplay but Rajasthan have successfully removed Nishanth and Baba. Jagadeesan and Arun Karthik have helped TN score 35/2 after 6 overs , need 120 from 14 overs.
Superman catch from Rajesh Bishnoi to dismiss Baba Aparajith as Rajasthan's Ankit Choudhary inflicts further damage to Tamil Nadu. Baba 2(4) c Bishnoi b Aniket. Arun Karthik joins Jagadeesan at the crease as TN are 18/2 after 4 overs.
That's an early wicket for Rajasthan as Tanveer Ul-Haq removes Nishanth without coneding any more runs. Nishanth departs for 4 after missing the flick completely as TN are 16/1 after 3 overs.
Hari Nishanth and N Jagadeesan open for Tamil Nadu. Tanveer Ul-Haq is on attack but not a great start by him as he concedes 5 wides before Nishanth gets a boundary. TN are 9/0 after 1 over.
Despite a quickfire 51 off 32 balls from skipper Ashok Menaria and a 45 off 35 balls from Arjit Gupta, Rajasthan could reach 154/9 in 20 overs.
Arjit Gupta, who was the only hope for Rajasthan to take them to 180+ score, fell for 45. Murugan Ashwin claimed his wicket The set batsman departs for Rajasthan.
Rajasthan 143/5 in 18 overs
With two quick falls of Ashok Menaria and Mahipal Lomror, all eyes are now on Arjit Gupta wo is playing on 44 off 33 balls. Rajasthan are still eyeing 180+ score.
RAJ 137/4 in 17 overs
M Mohammed to Mahipal Lomror, out Caught by Murugan Ashwin!! One brings two for Tamil Nadu. This is a big wicket because Lomror has been in supreme form for Rajasthan. Huge blow for them.
Rajasthan 133/4 in 15 overs
Sai Kishore returned to the attack and he managed to do what was expected of him. He claimed Ashok Menaria for 51. End of this 83-run partnership but Menaria has surely entertained.
Rajasthan 127/3 in 14 overs
It has been a horrific day for Tamil Nadu in the field as the team has dropped three easy catches so far in 13 overs. Two of the three have been dropped by Aswin Crist.
Rajasthan 120/2 in 13 overs
Rajasthan's skipper Ashok Menaria is in a great touch today as the southpaw has scored 50* off 30 balls taking team's total past 100 in 11 overs. Rajasthan all set to put a big total today.
Rajasthan's innings has been steered brilliantly by skipper Menaria (38*) and Arjit Gupta (15*) as both have stitched a 51*-run partnership off just 29 balls for the third wicket.
After 10 overs, Raj 88/2
Ashok Menaria seems to be capitalising on team strength of winning the toss and batting first. With 31* off 16 balls so far, Menaria is steering the team to a big total from here on.
After 8 overs, Raj 74/2
Rajasthan skipper has come to centre stage after Garhwal's exit as the left-hander hit 25 runs off 6 balls of Aswin Crist. 4,4,4,6,1,0 was the score in six balls.
Rajasthan 56/2 in 6 overs
Aprajith came to the attack in the fifth over as Aditya Garhwal was taking the seamers head-on. Both Garhwal and Menaria stitched a 37-run partnership before Aprajith got Aditya out. A well-judged catch by Arun Karthik. Aditya Garhwal departed for 29(21) [4s-5 6s-1]
Rajasthan 37/2 in 5 overs
It could have been 7/2 for Rajasthan but the hero of the last game for TN - Shahrukh Khan dropped a sitter short extra cover. Normally, he's a safe fielder but it today things didn't go his way. Lifeline for Aditya Garhwal.
After 2 overs, Rajasthan 12/1
Tamil Nadu got the first wicket in the first over as Sai Kishore forced Bharat Sharma to hand a catch to Baba Aparajith. After three dot balls, the pressure was on Bharat. Kishore went flatter and it skidded through quicker outside off, Bharat skipped back and cut it uppishly to the left of cover-point.Rajasthan 2/1 in 1 over
Hello and welcome to the live blog of the first semifinal match of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera. Rajasthan have won the toss and elected to bat first. Tamil Nadu - Playing XI #TNvRAJ #SyedMushtaqAliT20 #SF1 pic.twitter.com/B4e8U16dVl— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 29, 2021Rajasthan - Playing XI #TNvRAJ #SyedMushtaqAliT20 #SF1 pic.twitter.com/YrUj6gbdEO— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 29, 2021