163/7 (20.0)
CR : 8.15
176/7 (20.0)
CR : 8.80
Himachal Pradesh won by 13 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Akash Vasisht
1/843(25)
19.3
2
Singh to H Brar
Full toss outside off. Hits it over covers and wide of the fielder in the deep. Couple of runs to add to the total. The target is unassailable.
19.4
1
Singh to H Brar
Full toss outside off. Hits hard without timing to the right of deep cover, gets another single.
19.5
6
Singh to M Singh
SIXX!!! Good length on the fifth stump line. Mandeep rocks back and smashes a pull over square leg fence for six! A little too late for Punjab.
19.6
1
Singh to M Singh
Fuller one on the off stump. Driven to deep extra cover for a single and it's all over as Punjab go down by 13 runs. Himachal Pradesh are through to the finals!
Over 20
Punjab 163/7
Harpreet Brar3(2)
Mandeep Singh29(15)
Kanwar Abhinay Singh1-27(4.0)
HP won by 13 runs
2:22 PM IST| That's it in the Eden Gardens as Himachal Pradesh storms into the final of the SMAT 2022...Solid performance from Rishi Dhawan led side in all three departments as they edge past the strong Punjab side by 13 runs...
Rishi Dhawan led from the front as he picked up 3 wickets and broke the back of Punjab's batting line-up. And with this Himachal Pradesh will be playing for the first time in the final of SMAT history...With the bat, after a slow start, Himachal Pradesh has done well to post a good score on the board after being put into bat!
Rishi Dhawan led from the front as he picked up 3 wickets and broke the back of Punjab's batting line-up. And with this Himachal Pradesh will be playing for the first time in the final of SMAT history...With the bat, after a slow start, Himachal Pradesh has done well to post a good score on the board after being put into bat!
Himachal Pradesh openers struggled to score runs as they failed to take full advantage of the field restrictions. Punjab bowlers restricted Himachal Pradesh to 36/2 in the first six overs. It was Sumeet Verma who gave the innings impetus with his blistering half-century. His knock of 51 off 25 deliveries included 3 fours and 3 sixes and stitched a partnership of 45 runs for the fifth wicket alongside Akash Vasisht.
Though Nikhil Gangta failed to continue the momentum, Akash Vasisht and Pankaj Jaiswal smashed the bowlers all around the park as they propelled the team to 176/7 in their allotted 20 overs. For Punjab, Abhishek Sharma started off the bowling and finished with a spell of 4-0-20-2.
With the bat for Punjab, Shubman Gill looked a class apart as he played some fantastic shots at the start but he couldn't continue that for long as he ended up hitting the fuller length delivery straight into the hands of a deep square-leg fielder. Mandeep Singh and Ramandeep Singh were the other ones who showed some intent in the end but eventually, they failed to cross the line.
Mayank Dagar picked up a couple of important wickets in his 4 overs spell...KD Singh and Akash Vasisht picked a wicket each to help HP to cruise into the final of SMAT 2022...Stay tuned for the presentations!!!
With the bat for Punjab, Shubman Gill looked a class apart as he played some fantastic shots at the start but he couldn't continue that for long as he ended up hitting the fuller length delivery straight into the hands of a deep square-leg fielder. Mandeep Singh and Ramandeep Singh were the other ones who showed some intent in the end but eventually, they failed to cross the line.
Mayank Dagar picked up a couple of important wickets in his 4 overs spell...KD Singh and Akash Vasisht picked a wicket each to help HP to cruise into the final of SMAT 2022...Stay tuned for the presentations!!!
Akash Vasisht: "It feels really well. We won the Vijay Hazare Trophy final last year and its the team effort which has put us in the finals. We all know our strengths and the roles are sorted out. We have our plans in place and we play every game according to that. I want a boundary in every over, I want to punish the lose balls and I believe in strike rotation. I have an idea about the fielders and which bowler I can take over. I believe if I can stay there till the end, I can take the total to 180-200. There's a lot to learn from Rishi Dhawan's experience. I don't think there's any bigger player from Himachal than him. I wish my team all the best."
Rishi Dhawan (Himachal Pradesh Captain): "We will be playing our first final in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I would really like to thank the boys the way they have worked hard and supported me in decisions and the way they have played throughout. They are working hard since many years and our team bonding is very good. Everyone has played 40-50 matches and they know their roles and how to react in various situations. Experience is very important in white ball cricket and this is what is reaping rewards for us. Couple of games were washed out and we were playing one game less in our group so we didn't want any game to go lose. If we lose quick wickets, we are able to fight back thanks to the experience."
With HP storming into the final of SMAT 2022 it's time to say goodbye from our end but the cricketing action continues on our network as an enthralling contest between Pakistan and South Africa is going on in Sydney so you can now switch the tabs on our network. For now, This is me Ajay Ahire signing it off along with my co-commentators Ninaad Dixit and AkshayaKrishna Polya alongside our scorer/analyst Zeeshan Naiyer. Until then stay safe and stay cool...👋