In a low-scoring game against Andhra, Irfan Pathan guided Baroda to victory with a fine show with the bat. The win helped Baroda take their tally to 20 points in Group C, the same as table toppers Delhi, who occupy the first place owing to a better net run-rate. Both Delhi and Baroda qualified for the Super League stage.
Kerala’s win over Punjab in a thrilling run chase strengthened their position in Group B and they too booked a berth in the next stage of the tournament. While Haryana claimed their first win in the tournament, Tripura beat Team Rajasthan in a nerve-wracking run chase.
Group A
Haryana vs Bengal: Haryana 127/3 in 20 overs (N Saini 74*, MS Hooda 38, M Kumat 1/14) beat Bengal 110/8 in 20 overs (W Saha 32, P Chandila 24, A Mishra 4/30, H Patel 2/16) by 17 runs
Defending 127 runs, Amit Mishra bowled Haryana to a 17-run win against Bengal. The leg spinner removed the middle-order after Harshal Patel (two for 16) gave them the first breakthrough. Not allowing the opposition to form partnerships, the Haryana attack kept Bengal on a tight leash to post their first win of the tournament.
Earlier after electing to bat N Saini anchored the team to 127 runs in Nagpur. The Haryana opener slammed eight boundaries and a six in his 59-ball 79-run unbeaten knock.
Group B
Punjab vs Kerala: Punjab 135/7 in 20 overs (Y Singh 54, P Padmanabhan 3/11, B Thampi 2/30) lost to Kerala 139/5 in 19.5 overs (S Samson 72, Md Azhardueen 25, H Singh 2/19, S Kaul 2/24) by 5 wickets
Sanju Samson starred for Kerala with a 56-ball 72 in a 136-run chase against the Harbhajan Singh led Punjab team. He was involved in a 62-run opening partnership with Mohammed Azhardueen (25) and anchored the innings. Even as they lost wickets in the middle, he took the team to 134 before departing with four balls left in the innings. Siddharth Kaul, who claimed the Kerala batsman, followed up with the wicket of RV Gomez off the next ball but V A Jagadeesh took the Kerala to victory with a ball to spare.
Earlier, as the P Padmanabhan-led attack kept Punjab in check, Yuvraj Singh lifted the team to 135 with a 44-ball 54.
Team Rajasthan vs Tripura: Team Rajasthan 112/9 in 20 overs (R Bhatia 34, A Menaria 18, V Saha 2/8, R Dutta 2/15) lost to Tripura 113/9 in 20 overs (R Dey 43, NB Singh 4/25) by 1 wicket
Tripura ended the tournament with a win, their second in the league phase of the domestic T20 tournament. Top-order bat Rajat Dey's 38-ball 43 helped the team chase down the 113-run target. The Nathu Singh-led attack made dents in the Tripura line-up to keep the match hanging in balance. The pacer who finished with a four-for, claimed two wickets off successive deliveries in the last over to leave the opposition at 111 for nine.
With two runs required off two balls, V Saha helped Tripura cross the line in a thrilling finish with CK Paul. Earlier, Saha had claimed two for eight while MB Mura Singh, Rana Datta and B Roy too picked two wickets each to restrict Rajasthan to 112 for nine. Rajat Bhatia had top-scored for the team with 34 off as many balls while wickets fell around him.
Group C
Andhra vs Baroda: Andhra 91/9 in 20 overs (KS Bharat 30, A Bandaru 24, B Bhatt 2/5, H Pandya 2/13, R Arothe 2/19) lose to Baroda 93/7 in 16.5 overs (I Pathan 28*, K Devdhar 13, B Sudhakar 3/15, S Himasrinivas 2/18) by 3 wickets.
In a low scoring match Vadodara, Irfan Pathan took Baroda to the 92-run target with an unbeaten 25-ball 28. After Andhra elected to bat, the Baroda attack restricted them to 91 for nine. Pacers Rishi Arothe and Hardik Pandya claimed two wickets apiece while left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt claimed two for just five runs. In the match dominated by bowlers, Baroda too lost wickets at regular intervals and were left wobbling at 52 for six. However, the Baroda captain, ensured that the team strengthened their position in the Group's points table with a win as he took the team to the finish line with 19 balls to spare.
Follow the stars
Leading the Bengal side, Ashoke Dinda conceded 25 runs in his quota of four overs without picking a wicket against Haryana.
Wriddhiman Saha scored 32 runs off 29 balls as Bengal looked to chase 128 runs against Haryana.
Yusuf Pathan did not get a wicket in Baroda’s thrilling win against Andhra and contributed seven runs off 13 balls.
Harbhajan Singh claimed two for 19 against Kerala.
