Delhi lose to Madhya Pradesh in the semi-finals for only their second win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, performance of youngsters the bright spot for the team
14 Dec, 2024
Delhi’s campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy ended in the semi-finals with a seven-wicket loss to Madhya Pradesh (MP) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Delhi had won six of their seven matches in the Group stage and then defeated Uttar Pradesh by 19 runs in the quarterfinals before getting undone by MP.
In Friday’s match, Delhi had scored 146/5 in 20 overs with Anuj Rawat making 33 not out off 24 balls to return as the top-scorer.
MP lost a wicket on the first ball but then went after the Delhi bowling to reach the target in 15.3 overs. Skipper Rajat Patidar top-scored with 66 not out off 29 balls (4x4s, 6x6s) while Harpreet Singh Bhatia made 46 not out in 38 balls.
“We lost only two matches out of the nine we played, I am very satisfied. It was just one bad day against MP,” said team’s Head Coach Sarandeep Singh.
“This was a very young team under a young captain Ayush Badoni. Only Ishant Sharma and Himmat Singh were players of experience. They all performed admirably.
Pace bowler Prince Yadav returned as Delhi’s most successful bowler. He picked 11 wickets in eight matches with a best of 3/36. Harsh Tyagi got 10 while Ishant, who picked 2/12 in the last match, too got 10.
“Prince was the find of the Delhi Premier League. He has also been the find of this season for Delhi. He is very consistent. His yorkers are among the best in India at the moment, which is why we used to give him the 18th and 20th over. He bowled extremely well against strong batting line-ups like Haryana and UP which included Rinku Singh,” added Sarandeep. “Harsh Tyagi too bowled well. Have to mention Priyansh Arya too for his batting.”
The left-handed Arya was Delhi’s top run-getter and among the top 10 in the tournament. He amassed 325 runs in nine matches at an average of 40.62 and importantly at a strike rate of 176.63.
“I think a young team like this finishing among the top four is a commendable achievement.”
Delhi now play the Vijay Hazare Trophy from December 21. They are placed in Group A alongside Bengal, Baroda, Tripura, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
Tags : Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Delhi cricket, Madhya Pradesh cricket, T20, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Bengal, Bihar, Tripura, Baroda