Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Delhi ride on all-round performances to beat Rajasthan and lift maiden title

Kolkata: Delhi lifted its maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after trouncing Rajasthan by 41 runs as comeback man Unmukt Chand hit a half-century and bowlers put up a united show in the final on Friday. Chand, playing his second match of the tournament, produced the timely knock after in-form Rishabh Pant (13) and veteran Gautam Gambhir (27) got out cheaply as Delhi put on board 153 for six. In reply, Rajasthan were bundled out for 112 in 19.1 overs as their batting crumbled after opener Aditya Garhwal departed for 52 in 36 balls in the 12th over. [caption id=“attachment_4321861” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The successful Delhi team that lifted the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. Image courtesy: Twitter @BCCIDomestic[/caption] Left-arm pacer Sangwan bowled a tidy 2 for 14, while Kulwant Khejroliya (2/24) and Pawan Negi (2/21) also chipped in with two wickets each. Earlier, openers Gambhir and Pant gave the team a brisk start as Rajasthan sorely missed their ace pacer Deepak Chahar who missed the final with a hamstring injury. Gambhir, who had a miserable tournament so far, showed glimpses of his vintage form with four elegant boundaries and a six before being foxed by leg-spinner Rahul Chahar. In a space of two balls, medium pacer Khaleel Ahmed dismissed Pant with a sharp delivery that rose awkwardly and induced a top edge to be caught behind. Dhruv Shorey and Chand built a vital 48-run partnership for the third wicket. Chand, who got out for zero in the last match against Uttar Pradesh, looked confident right from the start. He punished the bad balls with conviction taking his team to 100 in 12 overs and was their lone fighter with wickets falling around him. Chand was caught on 48 off Khaleel, but it was ruled a no ball. However, Khaleel had the last laugh trapping the young turk lbw in his next over. In reply, Rajasthan’s charge was led by young Garhwal who reached his 50 off 31 balls. With the asking rate going past nine runs per over, Garhwal tried to break free against Lalit Yadav and was caught by Nitish Rana at long on. Mahipal Lomror in company of Tejinder Dhillon tried to push the score but they departed in successive overs to push Rajasthan into further misery. Sangwan, Khejroliya and Negi kept chipping away at the batting lineup ensuring a facile Delhi victory. Brief Scores: Delhi 153 for 6 in 20 overs (Unmukt Chand 53, Gautam Gambhir 27; Khaleel Ahmed 2/23, Rahul Chahar 2/31) beat Rajasthan 112 in 19.1 overs (Aditya Garhwal 52; Pradeep Sangwan 2/14, Pawan Negi 2/21, Kulwant Khejroliya 2/24) by 41 runs.