Kumar Kushagra ends Delhi's unbeaten run in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Kumar Kushagra, who was picked by Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League auction, scored an unbeaten 55 off 30 balls (4x4s, 3x6s) to help Jharkhand beat Delhi by five wickets in a Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy, Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The defeat means Delhi stay on 20 points in six matches and are in first place, ahead of Jharkhand only thanks to better net run rate.

In Tuesday’s match, Delhi scored 154/8 in 20 overs with Priyansh Arya making 38 (22 balls) and Anuj Rawat scoring 49 (43 balls). Yash Dhull (0), Ayush Badoni (1) and Himmat Singh (2) all failed to get going as Delhi found themselves at 18/3 in the fourth over.

Vaibhav Kandpal (14), Mayank Rawat (15) and Prince Yadav (17 off 9) were the others to get into double figures.

Due to the absence of Simarjeet Singh, the Delhi pace attack was deprived of some bite. 

The Jharkhand openers Ishan Kishan (14) and Utkarsh Singh (38 off 23 balls) put on 50 runs which set the tone. But they lost three wickets over the next four overs and 23 runs.

Kushagra, batting at No. 3, however batted at a brisk pace to see the team through. He was ably supported by Anukul Roy (27 off 20), the two adding 59 runs for the fourth wicket.

Delhi next play Arunachal Pradesh whereas Jharkhand next face Uttar Pradesh.

Tags : Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, T20, Delhi cricket, Jharkhand cricket, Kumar Kushagra, Ishan Kishan, Priyansh Arya