Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Unbeaten Maharashtra, Karnataka setup summit clash; Mumbai bow out despite big win over Uttar Pradesh

Indore: Maharashtra and Karnataka set up the title clash in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after posting victories in their last respective Super League matches Tuesday, while Mumbai bowed out of the premier domestic T20 tournament despite trouncing Uttar Pradesh. Mumbai defeated Uttar Pradesh by 46 runs in their last Super League Group B game, but that was not enough for them to find a place in the finals. [caption id=“attachment_4119963” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Getty[/caption] From Group B, it was Karnataka, who made it to the summit clash after defeating Vidarbha by six wickets. With this win, Karnataka remained unbeaten in the Super League stage and topped the table with 16 points. From the Super League Group A, Maharashtra stormed into the finals after winning all their four games. They topped the table with 16 points. The final of the domestic T20 championship will be played at the Holkar Stadium at Indore on 14 March. With the two finalists decided now, the Gujarat versus Bengal final Group A Super League match had been reduced to a ‘dead rubber’. Medium pacer Sayan Ghosh (5/15) and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha (53 not out) played key roles as Bengal posted a comfortable seven-wicket win with 10 deliveries to spare. As per the format this time, the final is to be played between the two teams who top their respective group in terms of points at the Super League stage. Karnataka restricted Vidarbha to a modest 138/7 with pacer R Vinay Kumar (2-27) leading from the front. Later, skipper Manish Pandey struck a fluent unbeaten 49 to guide his side home. Pandey hammered three fours and two sixes in his 35-ball knock. Opener Rohan Kadam (39) and Karun Nair (24) also chipped in with valueable knocks. On the other hand, Maharashtra dished out a clinical show to beat Railways by 21 runs. Maharashtra, coached by Surendra Bhave, posted a competitive 177/5 with wicketkeeper Nikhil Naik scoring an unbeaten 95. Naushad Shaikh also played his part to perfection with a gritty 59. Maharashtra bowlers, led by left-arm medium pacer Samad Fallah (3-37), then shot out Railways for 156 to maintain their unbeaten run in the Super League stage. Earlier in the day, put into bat, Mumbai posted a massive 183/7 with Siddhesh Lad top scoring with 62 off just 44 balls. After losing opener Jay Bista (0) on the first ball, Lad and Eknath Kerkar (46 off 36 balls) stitched a 96-run stand for the second wicket to lay the foundation for a big total. Then skipper Shreyas Iyer (43 off 27 balls) played his usual attacking game and when he departed Mumbai had crossed the 175-run mark. For UP, who were out of the reckoning for a berth in the finals before the match, captain Ankit Rajpoot (3-47) was the pick of the bowlers. Mumbai bowlers then shot out UP for 137 with medium pacer Shardul Thakur (3-15), Siddhesh Lad (3-23) and Shivam Dube (3-31) sharing the spoils. For UP, apart from Saurabh Kumar (24) and Priyam Garg (23), no other batsman showed spine as Mumbai emerged triumphant without much fuss. Brief Scores: At Emerald Heights International School ground: Mumbai 183/7 (Siddhesh Lad 62, Eknath Kerkar 46; Ankit Rajpoot 3-47) won against Uttar Pradesh 137 all out (Saurabh Kumar 24, Priyam Garg 23; Shardul Thakur 3-15, Siddhesh Lad 3-23) by 46 runs. Mumbai 4 points, UP 0 points. At Emerlad Heights International School ground: Vidarbha 138/7 (Apoorv Wankhede 56 not out, Akshay Karnewar 33; R Vinay Kumar 2-27, J Suchith 1-17) lost to Karnataka 140/4 (Manish Pandey 49 not out, Rohan Kadam 39; Yash Thakur 1-18) by six wickets. Karnataka 4 points. Vidarbha 0 points. At Holkar Stadium: Maharashtra 177/5 (Nikhil Naik 95 not out, Naushad Shaikh 59; Manjeet Choudhary 2-36, Ashish Yadav 1-29) won against Railways 156 (Mrunal Devdhar 55, Pratham Singh 29; Samad Fallah 3-47, Satyajeet Bachchav 2-22) by 21 runs.