Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024: Hinganekar cameo guides Maharashtra to four-wicket win over Kerala

Divyang Hinganekar and Ramakrishna Ghosh finished the match for Maharashtra by slashing pacer Akhil Scaria over point to the fence.

Divyang Hinganekar of Maharashtra in action against Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T-20 cricket championship Group E match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday. | Photo Credit: V V SUBRAHMANYAM

Divyang Hinganekar demonstrated the essence of timing a cameo in the T-20 format to near perfection as his brilliant assault (43 not out, 18b, 5x4, 2x6) helped Maharashtra pull off a creditable, four-wicket win over Kerala with one ball to spare in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 cricket championship Group E match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Monday.

Chasing 188 for victory, Maharashtra lost captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (1) in the second over, edging pacer Md Nadeesh to wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, but from then on it was a simple story of stitching brisk partnerships to keep the team in the hunt.

IPL star Rahul Tripathi (44, 28b, 4x4, 1x6) set the tempo for Maharashtra’s chase with his trademark stroke play, which put pressure on the Kerala captain to set the field.

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It was the 49-run stand for the third wicket between Tripathi and Azim Kazi (32, 26b. 1x4, 1x6) which ensured Maharashtra stayed in the hunt before the former failed to check his intended lofted drive on off-side and ended up giving a simple catch to covers off left-arm spinner Sijomon Joseph, who soon also got rid of Kazi hitting one straight to deep mid-wicket.

Then, it was the turn of Hinganekar to play a match-winning innings with some lusty blows. Straight driving to the fence and lofting Joseph over long-on for a six in an over, he made his intentions pretty clear. And, to the dismay of the Kerala camp, the bowlers erred in bowling to his strength, and he picked boundaries at will.

Hinganekar and Ramakrishna Ghosh (13, 5b, 1x5, 1x6) finished the match by slashing pacer Akhil Scaria over point to the fence.

Earlier, Kerala scored 187 for seven with opener S.K. Rohan (45, 24b, 5x4, 2x6) and middle-order batter Mohammed Azharuddeen (40, 29b, 3x4, 2x6) playing some wonderful strokes. Later, it was the seasoned campaigner and southpaw Sachin Baby (40 n.o., 25b, 3x4, 2x6) who ensured that Kerala posted a defendable total with Abdul Basith (24, 14b, 2x4, 1x6) wielding the long-handle effectively.

In a late evening match, Andhra thumped Nagaland by eight wickets with pacer C. Stephen (three for six) and off-spinner Tripurrana Vijay (four for eight) being the lead performers.

The scores:

Group E: At Uppal Stadium: 187/7 in 20 overs (S.K. Rohan 45, Mohammed Azharuddeen 40, Sachin Baby 40 n.o.) lost to Maharashtra 189/6 in 19.5 overs (Rahul Tripathi 44, A.N. Kazi 32, Divyang HInganekar 43 n.o.).

Nagaland 77 in 17.1 overs (C. Stephen 3/6, T. Vijay 4/8) lost to Andhra 79/2 in 9.4 overs (Ashwin Hebbar 43).

At Gymkhana: Services 187/7 in 20 overs (Kunwar Pathak 63, Rajat Paliwal 40, Mohit Rathee 33) beat Goa 165/5 in 20 overs (Rohan Kadam 49, Krishnamurthy Siddharth 55).