Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Shivank Vashisht takes 5 wickets as Delhi beat Uttarakhand; Karnataka trump heavyweights Mumbai

Off-spinner Shivank Vashist took a career-best 5 for 19 as Delhi crushed Uttarakhand by 35 runs to make a winning start in their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament opener on Thursday. At the Bansi Lal Stadum in Rohtak, Himmat Singh (35 off 34 balls) and skipper Pradeep Sangwan (25 off 21 bllas) made important contributions in their modest total of 121 for 8 in 20 overs. [caption id=“attachment_8407421” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Representational image. Getty Images[/caption] In reply, Uttarkahand were never in the game as Vashist ran through the middle-order during his four-over spell with the minnows being shot out for 86 in 18 overs. Navdeep Saini (1/18 in 4 overs) and Pradeep Sangwan (1/12 in 3 overs) were very disciplined in their first spell with Dikshanshu Negi (21) top-scoring in an otherwise embarrassing batting show. In another game, Hyderabad beat Saurastra by two wickets in a last-over thriller. Saurashtra posted 173 for 8 with all-rounder Prerak Mankad scoring 71 off 46 balls that had five sixes and four boundaries. Skipper Jaydev Unadkat also bolstered the total with 58 off 32 balls that had six fours and three sixes. Mohammed Siraj took 3 for 38 in 4 overs. In reply, Hyderabad scored the runs with three balls to spare with Kolla Sumanth (21 no off 15 balls) and Chama Sumanth (12 no off 4 balls) hitting a six each in their 22 run stand off 9 balls. Brief Scores: Delhi: 121/8 (Himmat Singh 35, Pradeep Sangwan 25). Uttaarakhand (Dikshanshu Negi 21, Shivank Vashist 5/19, Navdeep Saini 1/18). Delhi won by 35 runs. Saurashtra: 173/8 (Prerak Mankad 71 off 46 balls, Jaydev Unadkat 58 no off 32 balls, Mohammed Siraj 3/38). Hyderabad 177/8 in 19.3 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 55 off 35 balls, Kolla Sumanth 21 no off 15 balls). Hyderabad won by 2 wickets Uttar Pradesh 165/4 (Karan Sharma 60 off 50 balls, Rinku Singh 57 off 29 balls, Gurinder Singh 1/39). Chandigarh 143/5 (Manan Vohra 42 off 39 balls, Ankit Rajpoot 2/25). UP won by 22 runs. Karnataka vs Mumbai On the other hand, Karnataka stunned heavyweights Mumbai by nine runs despite Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane’s 75 off 54 balls in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group B match on Thursday. Leg-spinner KC Cariappa turned it around with two wickets in two balls to end with fine figures of 3/26, while off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham also contributed immensely with his 2/26 as Karnataka restricted Mumbai to 157/6, defending 167. Opting to bowl, Mumbai skipper Rahane led their challenging chase with a fine half-century but the mystery spinner Cariappa removed the star Indian batsman and cleaned up another international Shivam Dube (3) with his very next ball to put brakes on their chase. Gowtham then triggered another collapse when he dismissed Siddhesh Lad (32) to break his 88-run partnership with Rahane. Rahane steered the show after his dangerous opening partner Prithvi Shaw (4) fell cheaply, while talented Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) became Gowtham’s first victim after the Powerplay. Rahane’s 54-ball knock was studded with six fours and three sixes as Mumbai were cruising with 125 for 2 in the 16th over before all hell broke loose. Cariappa’s magical bowling at the death meant Mumbai needed 24 runs off the final over with four wickets in hand as seamer Prasidh Krishna ensured that they fell short by nine runs. Earlier Manish Pandey (84 from 64 balls; 7x4, 2x6) and Karun Nair (72 from 53 balls; 6x4, 2x6) put on a 149-run partnership to power Karnataka to a challenging 166/4. Put on, Karnataka had a jittery start with debutant Mumbai seamer Mohit Avasthi taking two wickets in his first two overs en route to his 2/32. India’s back-up Test opener Mayank Agarwal was out for a golden duck, while the talented youngster Devdutt Padikkal (5) followed suit in the third over before Pandey and Nair took charge and stayed till the final over. In the first match at the venue, a new look Bengal team began its campaign by thrashing Chhattisgarh by seven wickets. Brief Scores: Chhattisgarh 118/7; 20 overs (Akhil Herwadkar 73; Mukesh Kumar 2/26) lost to Bengal 119/3; 17 overs (Sudip Chatterjee 51 not out, Wriddhiman Saha 24; Ravi Kiran 2/24) by seven wickets. Baroda 124/9; 20 overs (Bhanu Pania 55; Nitin Yadav 3/22) lost to Services 128/8; 20 overs (Diwesh Pathania 41 not out; Ninad Rathva 3/8, Krunal Pandya 2/12) by two wickets. Karnataka 166/4; 20 overs (Manish Pandey 84, Karun Nair 72; Mohit Avasthi 2/32, Tushar Deshpande 2/38) by Mumbai 157/6; 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 75; KC Cariappa 3/26, Krishnappa Gowtham 2/26) by nine runs.