Welcome to Sportstar's Coverage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 semifinal matches in Delhi.
Karnataka has beaten Vidarbha in a thrilling semifinal by four runs to reach the summit clash where it will face defending champion Tamil Nadu on Monday!
Vidarbha 172/6 in 20 overs: OUT! Karnewar hits it hard but Mannohar gets a hand to it and takes it at the second attempt. Excellent final over from Vidyadhar who concedes just nine and Karnataka wins by four runs.Akshay Karnewar c Abhinav Manohar b Vidyadhar Patil 22(12)
Vidarbha 163/5 in 19 overs: SIX! Slower one from Vyshak, Karnewar picks it quickly and blasts it over mid-wicket. FOUR! Wankhade hits the full toss with force and long off fielder has no chance. Vidarbha needs 14 off the last over.
Vidarbha 150/5 in 18 overs: SIX! Karnewar gets down on one knee and sends the half volley bolwed by Darshan over long on for a much needed six. SIX! Wankhade keeps Vidarbha's hopes alive as he picks the slower one and hits it way over long on. Game on!
Vidarbha 135/5 in 17 overs: Crucial over from Cariappa as he gives just four runs and finishes his spell with figures of 4-0-27-2.
Vidarbha 131/5 in 16 overs: FOUR! Had been a great over for Vidyadhar and Karnataka until the last ball where he bowled a low full toss and Karnewar smashed it over the umpire's head.
Vidarbha 122/5 in 15 overs: SIX! Darshan is back into the attack after an expensive first over of the innings and straight away he has been dispatched over long off by Jitesh Sharma. WICKET! Jitesh tries to play a lofted drive but poor execution leads to an easy catch for Cariappa at shord third man. Jitesh Sharma c Cariappa b Darshan MB 12 (9)
Vidarbha 113/4 in 14 overs: Suchith finishes his quota with figures of 4-0-34-1. He was very unlucky not to get more wickets.
Vidarbha 107/4 in 13 overs: FOUR! Arm ball from Cariappa and Dubey just guides it very fine through the vacant slip region. WICKET! Cariappa dismisses the set batter Dubey who edges it and Sharath takes a sharp catch. Shubham Dubey c Sharath BR b Cariappa 24 (16)
Vidarbha 99/3 in 12 overs: WICKET! Wadkar goes for the big heave and misses a straight delivery from Nair. Excellent over. Akshay Wadkar b Karun Nair 15 (15)
Vidarbha 94/2 in 11 overs: DROPPED! Another sitter dropped off Suchith's bowling. The ball took the top edge of Shubham Dubey's bat and then ballooned to point but Vidyadhar couldn't hold on to it. SIX! Just becomes from bad to worse for Suchith as Dubey hits one over wide long on.
Vidarbha 81/2 in 10 overs: Five off Karun Nair's first over. Vidarbha needs 96 off 60 .
Vidarbha 76/2 in 9 overs: WICKET! Suchith dismisses the other opener. Tossed up delivery, Satish steps out and hits it hard but Vidyadhar Patil takes a comfortable catch at long off. SIX! What should have been a second wicket for Suchith has turned into a maximum. Wadkar played the exact shot that Satish played but Vidyadhar could not hold it and instead ended up deflecting it over the fence. Ganesh Satish c Vidyadhar Patil b J Suchith 31 (27b, 2x4, 1x6)
Vidarbha 67/1 in 8 overs: FOUR! Full toss from Vyshak and Satish drives it through the covers for a boundary.
Vidarbha 62/1 in 7 overs: Left-arm spinner Suchith bowls his first over and concedes just six runs.
Vidarbha 56/1 in 6 overs: FOUR! Wide and in the slot for Satish from Vijaykumar Vyshak and Satish chips it over cover. SIX! One of the flattest sixes ever! Vyshak bowls short and towards the leg side. Satish pulls powerfully and the ball flies over the boundary rope.
Vidarbha 43/1 in 5 overs: WICKET! Taide slogs one to the deep and Pandey takes the catch at long-on! He fumbles for a second with the one-handed grab but keeps himself within the boundary to hand Karnataka its the breakthrough! Atharva Taide c Manish Pandey b Cariappa 32 (16B, 3x4, 2x6)
Vidarbha 40/0 after 4 overs: FOUR! Perfectly timed cover drive by Taide. Eight from Vidyadhar's second over. Vidarbha has got the start it required.
Vidarbha 32/0 after 3 overs: Manish Pandey brings legspinner KC Cariappa. WIDE! Cariappa loses control of the first ball and sends it down the leg side. SIX! Angling in to Taide and he muscles it over long on for six.
Vidarbha 20/0 after 2 overs: Tidy first over from right-arm medium bowler Vidyadhar Patil.
Vidarbha 16/0 after one over: FOUR! Atharva Taide swings his bat at a wide ball from Darshan and it flies over point for the first boundary of the innings. SIX! Taide bludgeons one over long off to enter double digits. FOUR! Short and wide from Darshan and Taide places it through the covers for a four.
And the chase is underway! Vidarbha openers Atharva Taide and Ganesh Satish in the middle. Darshan MB with the ball for Karnataka.
Unbelievable final over from Darshan Nalkande who ends with figures of 4-0-28-4. Still, Karnataka has put a massive total of 176 on the board. We're in for a thriller. Stay tuned for the chase.
Karnataka 176/7 after 20 overs: WICKET! Slower bouncer from Nalkande, Aniruddha Joshi pulls it hard but the lack of pace means it is an easy catch at fine leg. WICKET! Nalkande is on a hat-trick now as Sharath tries to scoop one over the keeper but again, the lack of pace leads to a low, one-handed catch for Wadkar. WICKET! Hat-trick for Darshan Nalkande - Suchith pulls it straight into the hands of Apoorv Wankhede at deep square leg. WICKET! Four in four - Abhinav Manohar tries to hit it out of the park but a top edge lands the ball into the hands of Atharva Taide at cover. Aniruddha Joshi c Yash Thakur b Darshan Nalkande 1 (3), Sharath BR c Akshay Wadkar b Darshan Nalkande 0 (1), J Suchith c Wankhade b Darshan Nalkande 0 (1), Abhinav Manohar c Atharva Taide b Darshan Nalkande 27 (13)
Karnataka 175/3 after 19 overs: FOUR! A short ball from Thakur and Karun Nair manages it to guide it over's the keeper head. WICKET! Full, wide and quick from Thakur, Nair tries to hit over covers but the ball takes the outside edge and Wadkar makes no mistake behind the stumps. Karun Nair c Akshay Wadkar b Yash Thakur 5 (3)
Karnataka 167/2 after 18 overs: FOUR! Manish Pandey completes his half-century - sends the full toss down to fine leg. WICKET! A slower one by Lalit Yadav this time and Pandey could hit it only as far as the fielder at long on. SIX! Manohar is in scintillating form. Clean hitting and the fielder at long-off has no chance of catching that. FOUR! Well, Manohar has just timed it down to third man except the third man is inside the circle. Manish Pandey c Wakhare b Lalit M Yadav 54 (42b, 2x4, 3x6)
Karnataka 150/1 after 17 overs: FOUR! Abhinav Manohar sweeps one beautifully to fine leg. SIX! Manohar gets to the pitch of the ball and sends it long over extra cover. Karnewar finishes his quota with figures of 4-0-39-0.
Karnataka 135/1 after 16 overs: OUT! Short delivery from Lalit Yadav and Kadam pulls it straight into the hands of the fielder at deep square leg. Rohan Kadam c Wankhade b Lalit M Yadav 87 (56b, 7x4, 4x6)
Karnataka 132/0 after 15 overs: Yash Thakur to bowl his third over. SIX! Just holding his position, Kadam times the drive over cover for a maximum. Closing in on the three figure mark.
Karnataka 123/0 after 14 overs: SIX! This is sensational batting from Kadam who steps down the pitch and smashes Wakhare over long on. SIX! Another one for Kadam. This time over deep mid-wicket.
Karnataka 107/0 after 13 overs: SIX! A half-tracker from Karnewar and Kadam pull its over deep square leg. Hundred up for Karnataka!
Karnataka 95/0 after 12 overs: SIX! Nalkande back into the attack. He pitches it short and Pandey comes down the pitch to slap it over Nalkande's head.
Karnataka 85/0 after 11 overs: FIFTY! Rohan Kadam sweeps one off left-arm spinner Atharv Taide through square leg to complete a crucial half century in 36 balls.
Karnataka 79/0 after 10 overs: End of Wakhare's second over. Vidarbha has somewhat slowed down the flow of runs through its spinners.
Karnataka 73/0 after 9 overs: Four singles and a triple from Karnewar's second over.
Karnataka 66/0 after 8 overs: Back to Lalit Yadav. Just three from the over.
Karnataka 63/0 after 7 overs: Spinners from both ends now as off-spinner Akshay Wakhare has the ball in hand. SIX! Wakhare drops one short, Pandey goes on the backfoot and muscles it over mid-wicket into the stands.
Karnataka 53/0 after 6 overs: Left-arm spinner Akshay Karnewar to bowl the last over of the powerplay. Fifty up for Karnataka!
Karnataka 48/0 after 5 overs: SIX! Manish Pandey has smashed it over long on for his first boundary of the match. FOUR! Short but not short enough from Yash Thakur and Pandey just uses the pace to pull it away.
Karnataka 36/0 after 4 overs: First change - Wadkar gives the ball to, Lalit Yadav, right-arm fast medium. FOUR! Fifth boundary for Kadam. This time driven through the right of the fielder at mid-on. FOUR! A full toss outside the off stump and Kadam just plays through the covers . FOUR! Kadam is making full use of the reprieve he got early in the innings. He drives one more in the gap between extra cover and mid off for another boundary.
Karnataka 23/0 after 3 overs: FOUR! A short and wide delivery from Nalkande and Kadam plays it through the covers. FOUR! Expertly driven by Kadam just wide of the fielder at mid off. WIDE! Nalkande looks a bit under pressure and he has sprayed one down the leg side.
Karnataka 12/0 after 2 overs: FOUR! Right-arm pacer Yash Thakur into the attack and Kadam has played a glorious on drive.
Karnataka 6/0 after one over: FOUR! Kadam pulls the short ball through mid-wicket for first runs of the day for Karnataka. DROPPED! Lazy drive without any footwork from Kadam produces a regulation catch for Vidarbha skipper and wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar but he has put it down.
And the match is underway! Karnataka openers Rohan Kadam and Manish Pandey in the middle. Right-arm seamer Darshan Nalkande with the ball in hand for Vidarbha.
Karnataka XI:
M B Darshan, B R Sharath (W), V Vyshak, Karun Nair, Manish Pandey (C), K C Cariappa, Suchith J,Rohan Kadam, Aniruddha, Vidyadhar Patil, Abhinav Manohar
Vidarbha XI: A A Wakhare, A V Wankhade, Ganesh Satish, J M Sharma, A V Wadkar (C) (W), A K Karnewar,Lalit Yadav, Atharva Taide, D G Nalkande, Y R Thakur, S B Dubey
Semifinal 2 Toss: Vidarbha wins toss, opts to field
- Semifinal 1 -
Tamil Nadu reaches its fourth final! A potential Karnataka clash awaits as Manish Pandey's men take on Vidarbha in the second semifinal. Stay tuned for the match updates. Match begins at 1PM IST.
Tamil Nadu 92/2 after 14.2 overs: FOUR! Shankar plays one over mid-wicket. SIX! Tamil Nadu reaches its fourth Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final - Vijay Shankar times the hook to perfection to stay unbeaten on 43.
Tamil Nadu 82/2 after 14 overs: The required runs are in single digits now. Tamil Nadu almost there.
Tamil Nadu 76/2 after 13 overs: Tamil Nadu is cruising towards a place in the summit clash. Just 15 required in seven overs.
Tamil Nadu 72/2 after 12 overs: FOUR! Vijay Shankar shifts on to the backfoot and then plays it over cover. FOUR! Sudharsan plays a delicate late cut off Mehdi Hassan.
Tamil Nadu 60/2 after 11 overs: FOUR! Lucky boundary for Sudharsan as he tries to sweep one off Thyagarajan. The ball takes the top edge and then goes over the stumps and past the wicketkeeper.
Tamil Nadu 52/2 after 10 overs: FOUR! Slow left-arm spin of Mehdi Hassan provides enough time to Sudharsan to scoop a ball that was pitched well outside the off stump.
Tamil Nadu 44/2 after 9 overs: Tamil Nadu is playing sensibly. No rash shots from Shankar or Sudharsan. Just simple rotation of the strike.
Tamil Nadu 40/2 after 8 overs: FOUR! Gorgeous straight drive from Sudharsan. Eight from Ravi Teja's second over.
Tamil Nadu 32/2 after 7 overs: FOUR! Shankar plays one away from the body and a thick outside edge takes it past the slip for a four off left-arm spinner Thyagarajan's final ball of the over.
Tamil Nadu 25/2 after 6 overs: Right-arm medium pacer T Ravi Teja into the attack. Teja finishes the powerplay with a decent over.
Tamil Nadu 24/2 after 5 overs: Readdi concedes just one in his third over but at this point, Hyderabad needs to pick more wickets. The target is such that Tamil Nadu batters can take their time to get set.
Tamil Nadu 23/2 after 4 overs: Effective over from Milind. Keeps the pressure on. Just three from his second.
Tamil Nadu 20/2 after 3 overs: OUT! Comfortable catch in the first slip. Readdi bowled one that was angling in and a helpless Jagadeesan couldn't do much apart for edging it. OUT! Another one for Readdi and this time it is the other opener. Nishanth gets a wide one but the drive finds the fielder at backward point. FOUR! Skipper Vijay Shankar comes on the crease and straight away punches one off the back foot through point. N Jagadeesan c Tanmay Agarwal b Rakshann Readdi 1 (3), Hari Nishanth c Sandeep b Rakshann Readdi 14 (12)
Tamil Nadu 15/0 after 2 overs: FOUR! Left-arm seamer Chama Milind from the other end. Jagadeesan makes room for himself and then swings his bat to get a thick top edge that flies over the slip cordon.
Tamil Nadu 7/0 after one over: SIX! Nishanth pulls one way over backward square leg to score the first runs of the chase in style.
And the chase begins! Hari Nishanth and N Jagadeesan to open the innings for Tamil Nadu. Rakshann Readdi with the ball in hand for Hyderabad.
Tamil Nadu won a vital toss and its bowlers made full use of the helpful conditions to wreak havoc as the Hyderabad batting fell apart. Stay tuned for the chase as defending champion Tamil Nadu looks to make it to its fourth Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final.
Hyderabad 90/10 after 18.3 overs: SIX! Tanay Thyagarajan, the only Hyderabad batter to make it to double digits, smashes a huge one over deep mid-wicket. FOUR! Brilliant adjustment in the crease and Tanay manages to convert the yorker into a full toss and gets it past the fielder at fine leg. WICKET! Five-wicket haul for Saravana Kumar. Tanay goes for another big shot but this time gets caught at deep mid-wicket. End of a disappointing innings from Hyderabad. Tanay Thyagarajan c Sai Kishore b Saravana Kumar 25 (24)
Hyderabad 80/9 after 18 overs: OUT! A loose and wide delivery from Mohammed. However, Mehdi Hassan's shot has no power and Vijay Shankar takes the catch at cover. Mehdi Hassan c Shankar b M Mohammed 3 (8)
Hyderabad 76/8 after 17 overs: FIVE WIDES! Sai Kishore pitches one on off stump but it spins viciously and goes down the leg side leaving no chance for Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper Jagadeesan.
Hyderabad 66/8 after 16 overs: OUT! Milind looks to attack Ashwin but Saravana Kumar pouches the ball at long-on. Murugan Ashwin gets his second wicket. Milind c Saravana Kumar b Murugan Ashwin 8 (17)
Hyderabad 63/7 after 15 overs: Tamil Nadu is quickly running through the overs. Four from Sai Kishore's third.
Hyderabad 59/7 after 14 overs: Warrier finishes his quota of overs with the figures of 4-0-23-0.
Hyderabad 54/7 after 13 overs: Another economical over from Sai Kishore.
Hyderabad 51/7 after 12 overs: Four singles from Ashwin's third over.
Hyderabad 47/7 after 11 overs: OUT! Sai Kishore joins the party as he gets the top-edge of Buddhi's bat and Tamil Nadu skipper Vijay Shankar takes a brilliant catch at mid-wicket. Rahul Buddhi c Shankar b Sai Kishore 9 (13)
Hyderabad 44/6 after 10 overs: OUT! It's becoming worse for Hyderabad by every passing over. Ravi Teja the latest man to depart after a mis-timed pull finds the hands of the fielder at mid-on. T Ravi Teja c Sanjay Yadav b M Mohammed 9 (12). FOUR! Buddhi edges one through the vacant slip region.
Hyderabad 38/5 after 9 overs: DROPPED! Buddhi hits it hard and straight to cover but the fielder fails to hold on to a tough chance.
Hyderabad 33/5 after 8 overs: Mohammed goes for two runs in his first over and maintains the pressure on Hyderabad.
Hyderabad 31/5 after 7 overs: OUT! Nicely tossed up delivery by Murugan Ashwin. Sandeep looks to play one over long-off and M Mohammed takes a good catch. Half of the Hyderabad side is back in the hut now. Sandeep c M Mohammed b Murugan Ashwin 8 (6)
Hyderabad 30/4 after 6 overs: SIX! Finally, runs scored off Saravana Kumar's bowling and how! Left-handed Bavanaka Sandeep dances down the track and slaps it over the bowler's head. OUT! Fourth wicket for Saravana Kumar as Pragnay Reddy provides catching practice to Murugan Ashwin at backward point. Pragnay Reddy c Murugan Ashwin b Saravana Kumar 8 (16). FOUR! Ravi Teja plays a beautiful drive through the covers to end the powerplay.
Hyderabad 19/3 after 5 overs: Good comeback from Warrier. Just two from his third.
Hyderabad 17/3 after 4 overs: OUT! Another cut from Varma but this time straight into the hands of Hari Nishanth at point. OUT! This is an outrageous spell from Saravana Kumar who gets right-handed batter Himalay Agarwal to edge one to first slip where Shahrukh Khan makes no mistake. Saravana Kumar's figures at the moment are 2-2-0-3. Tilak Varma c Hari Nishanth b Saravana Kumar 8 (8), Himalay Agarwal c Shahrukh Khan b Saravana Kumar 0 (2)
Hyderabad 17/1 after 3 overs: SIX! A fierce cut over point from Tilak Varma carriers all the way to the fence. FOUR! Reddy hits the same shot in the same region for a four. Expensive second over from Warrier.
Hyderabad 4/1 after 2 overs: OUT! Hyderabad loses the in-form skipper Tanmay Agarwal who tries to play a big shot on the off-side but holes out to third-man Warrier. Wicket maiden for right-arm pacer P Saravana Kumar. Tanmay Agarwal c Warrier b Saravana Kumar 1 (4)
Hyderabad 4/0 after one over: Tidy first over from right-arm pacer Sandeep Warrier.
And the match is underway! Skipper Tanmay Agarwal and Sai Pragnay Reddy are in the middle for Hyderabad. Sandeep Warrier to open the attack for Tamil Nadu.
Here are the playing XIs-
TOSS: Tamil Nadu wins toss, opts to bowl first
Semifinals Preview
So far, defending champion Tamil Nadu and Karnataka appear as potential finalists of this edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. A victory away from that much-anticipated title-clash, these contenders run into starless, but unbeaten rivals in the semifinals on Saturday.
TN takes on Hyderabad in the morning at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground before Karnataka plays Vidarbha.
With the onset of winter, teams have preferred to chase targets after letting the new-ball bowlers make the most of the nippy conditions and the moisture on the pitch in the matches that commence in the morning.
On winning the toss, the choice should be no different for TN or Hyderabad. TN clearly holds the edge not only due to its overall strength but also because it returns to the same venue within 48 hours of chasing down Kerala’s 181 with ease .
Vihari, Siraj out
Hyderabad, which began its campaign at full strength, is now without Hanuma Vihari and Siraj Mohammad. But the manner in which it outplayed two-time winner Gujarat on Thursday shows the team is no less fired up to do one better than its runner-up finish in the 2009-10 season.
Unlike TN whose batters have come good and appear increasingly consistent, Hyderabad has largely depended on skipper and opener Tanmay Agarwal, the top run-getter this season.
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In addition, left-arm medium pacer C. V. Milind, with 18 wickets, is the highest wicket-taker this season. It will be interesting to see how the TN batters deal with Milind in these conditions.
Impressive run
One team that has faced least resistance on its way to the semifinals is Vidarbha. After topping the Plate group, Vidarbha stretched its impressive run by whipping Maharashtra by seven wickets and Rajasthan by nine wickets.
Though not much should be read into Vidarbha’s league performances, batters Atharva Taide and skipper Akshay Wadkar continue to look good. Among the bowlers, lanky spinner Akshay Karnewar (13 wickets) and pacer Yash Thakur (10 wickets) are the ones to watch out for.
But Vidarbha’s run could end against Karnataka, which has survived a few anxious moments in its campaign. Its escape to quarterfinal victory against Bengal should serve as a wake-up call and bring out an improved performance. Under Manish Pandey, this depleted team still has the potential to regain the title won twice in the last three seasons. With Karun Nair and Abhinav Manohar looking in great touch and leg-spinner K. C. Cariappa consistently pitching it right, the team can hope to justify the tag of being the favourite for a place in Monday’s final.
Tamil Nadu vs Hyderabad Squads
Karnataka vs Vidarbha Squads
Where to watch SMAT 2021-22 semifinals Live?
The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semifinal matches 2021-22 will be aired live on the Star Sports Network. The matches will also be available for live streaming on Disney+Hotstar.
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