Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Maharashtra crushes Hyderabad; Uttarakhand stays on top

Ruturaj Gaikwad's half-century guided Maharashtra to a crushing seven-wicket win over Hyderabad on day four of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Ruturaj Gaikwad played a key knock of 54 in Maharashtra's win over Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Monday.

It was Maharashtra’s turn to whip a lackadaisical Hyderabad to stay in the hunt for a qualifying spot from Group ‘E’ to the super league of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Air Force Complex ground here on Monday.

Having lost its previous three matches, Hyderabad's showed no sense of purpose as Maharashtra recorded a crushing seven-wicket win to share the second spot with Services and Uttar Pradesh at 12 points.Not surprisingly, Uttarakhand (16) retained its lead at the top with an easy 37-run win over Tripura (0).

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In the day’s other matches, Services pulled off a second successive surprise win by beating Baroda (8) by seven wickets in a low-scoring match, while UP improved its qualifying prospects with a commanding 77-run win over Pondicherry (4).

Electing to bat first, Hyderabad failed to get off to a strong start and lost wickets at the top of the order. Opener Tanmay Agarwal (21 off 25 deliveries) could not capitalise after taking his time to settle down.

Akshath Reddy's early departure brought Ambati Rayudu to the crease and the latter once again failed to get going. He faced 22 deliveries to score 15. Maharashtra got rid of Rayudu and Agarwal in the space of two runs by the 10th over with just 46 on the board.

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xWhat followed was the only redeeming phase of Hyderabad innings, with top-scorer Rohit Rayudu (47 not out, 34b, 1x4, 2x6) and B. Sandeep (25, 23b, 1x4, 1x6) adding 47 runs. By the time this stand ended, Hyderabad was at 93 for four after 17 overs. Thereafter, barring Sandeep, none of the batsmen could get going.

Maharashtra bowlers were rewarded for their disciplined line of attack and gave very little away. As a result, Maharashtra batsmen made light of the modest target. Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (54, 40b, 5x4, 1x6) and N. S. Shaikh (42 not out, 3x4, 2x6) played key knocks as the side won with plenty to spare.

The scores Hyderabad 124 for six in 20 overs (Rohit Rayudu 47 not out, B. Sandeep 25) lost to Maharashtra 125 for three in 18 overs (Rituraj Gaikwad 54, N. S. Shaikh 42 not out) by seven wickets.   Uttar Pradesh 179 for four in 20 overs (Priyam Garg 54, Upendra Yadav 36, Rinku Singh 29 not out, Samarth Singh 29) beat Pondicherry 102 for six in 20 overs (Fabid Ahmed 25 not out, P. Thamaraikannan 25 not out, Saurabh Kumar four for 14) by 77 runs.   Uttarakhand 147 for five in 20 overs (Karanveer Kaushal 58, Vaibhav 46 not out) beat Tripura 110 in 19 overs (Sen Choudhury 34, Mura Singh 33, Rohit Dangal three for 16, Rajat Bhatia three for 29) by 37 runs.   Baroda 75 in 18.2 overs (V. U. Yadav three for 15) lost to Services 76 for three in 16.2 overs by seven wickets.