UPT20: Meerut Mavericks beat Lucknow Falcons by 35 runs

Meerut Mavericks secured two points as they defeated Lucknow Falcons by 35 runs in the UPT20 at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

Emboldened by the addition of Kartik Tyagi to the playing eleven, who registered the tournament’s first hattrick, the Meerut Mavericks were clinical in the defence of their total. Vishal Chaudhary (2/22) and Yogendra Doyla (2/42) also picked up two wickets each. Earlier in the night, the Meerut Mavericks posted a formidable total of 191/8, enabled by top-quality knocks from the likes of Swastik Chikara (56), Madhav Kaushik (47) and Rituraj Sharma (28*).

Electing to field first, Lucknow’s Yash Dhayal cleaned up Shoaib Siddiqui (0) off the very first ball of the match. Extending his purple patch, Swastik Chikara (56), along with Madhav Kaushik (47) carried on unfazed as the pair put on 62 runs within the powerplay. Finding runs on all corners of the park, Swastik Chikara brought up his half-century in 30 balls while Madhav Kaushik (47) fell to Kritagya Singh, ending their 98-run stand as the score read 98/2 in 10.3 overs.

Rinku Singh failed to make an impact perishing for 12 runs to Harsh Tyagi and soon after, Chikara’s chances of a fourth consecutive century was extinguished by Kritagya Singh in the 15th over, leaving the Meerut Mavericks at 117/4.

In the final five overs, the Meerut Mavericks amassed 71 runs as the 16th over saw 18 runs scored by the duo of Uvaish Ahmed (7) and Rituraj Sharma (28*) before Uvaish Ahmed (7) was sent back by Vipraj Nigam in the next over. Divyansh Joshi chipped in with a swift knock of 16 runs in 8 balls as Vikrant Chaudhary momentarily stemmed the flow of runs with three wickets in the 19th over picking up Divyansh Joshi (16), Purnank Tyagi (1), Vishal Chaudhary (0). The final over saw an abundance of runs from Rituraj Sharma and Yash Garg (16*), who played a cavalier cameo in just four deliveries to place the Meerut Mavericks at 191/8.

In response, the Lucknow Falcons sought to make quick runs their priority, in the process they lost opener Harsh Tyagi (11) to Meerut’s Kartik Tyagi after he conceded 15 runs in his first over. By the end of the powerplay, Lucknow was placed at 52/1.

Aanjaneya Suryavanshi (23) and skipper Priyam Garg (27) combined to score a 49-run partnership before Vishal Chaudhary dismissed Suryavanshi and Kritagya Singh (0) in consecutive deliveries in the ninth over. At the 10-over mark, the Lucknow Falcons were far behind the required run rate at 71/3, the situation worsened as Priyam Garg retired hurt due to injury. Meerut’s Yogendra Doyla also picked up two wickets in the 12th over, dismissing Aaradhya Yadav (13) and Hardeep Singh (1). Mohd Amaan and Vipraj Nigam put up a valiant fight, with 78 runs needed of 24 balls, Vipraj Nigam smashed Yogendra Doyla for 30 runs comprising three sixes and three fours.

However, the equation proved overwhelming for the Lucknow Falcons, Nigam’s stint came to an end in the 19th over when he was cleaned up by Purnank Tyagi. Kartik Tyagi delivered a sizzling final over to produce the first hat trick of the Jio UPT20. The Lucknow Falcons finished at 157/9 losing the match by 34 runs.

Brief Scores: Meerut Mavericks: 191/8 - (Swastik Chikara 56, Madhav Kaushik 47, Rituraj Sharma 28, Yash Garg 16, Vikrant Chaudhary 3/28, Vipraj Nigam 2/15, Yash Dayal 1/27) vs Lucknow Falcons: 157/9 (Vipraj Nigam 45, M. Amaan 27, Priyam Garg 27, Kartik Tyagi 4/26, Vishal Chaudhary 2/22, Yogendra Doyla 2/42).(ANI)