With Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra joining overnight leader Uttarakhand at the top of the table at 16 points, the race for the two qualifying spots from group ‘E’ league of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament took an interesting turn on Wednesday.
Hours after Uttarakhand’s four-match winning streak came to a screeching halt following a 10-wicket drubbing by Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh escaped to a one-run win over Services to make the leaders’ group.
Maharashtra kept alive its chances when it cantered past a previously-unbeaten Uttarakhand. Toss once again proved crucial as Maharashtra bowlers made the most of the conditions. From 65 for three, Uttarakhand dramatically slumped to 73 for nine as left-arm spinner Satyajit Bachhav (four for 18) turned the tide firmly in Maharashtra’s favour.
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Once the chase began, Rahul Tripathi (51 not out, 28b, 9x4, 1x6) dominated the proceedings with fellow-opener Ruturaj Gaikwad (28 not out, 22b, 2x4, 1x6) playing second fiddle.
Hyderabad confined a winless Tripura to the bottom of the table by scoring its first win in five matches. Debutant Puducherry once again exhibited its fighting qualities before Baroda managed to cross the finish line in the final over with four wickets to spare.
With two rounds to go, UP, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand are placed in that order. Services and Baroda (12) are followed by Hyderabad, Puducherry (four each) and Tripura (0).
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