Abhinav Bali excelled with bat and ball to guide Delhi Jets to a 92-run victory over Chandigarh Lions in a 50-over-a-side Indian Cricket League match in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Electing to bat, Delhi Jets recovered from initial hiccups to post a competitive 259 all out from 47.5 overs and then skittle out Chandigarh Lions for 167 in 36 overs, to sail into the final.
The highlight of the Delhi innings was skipper J P Yadav and Dhruv Mahajan's 77-run partnership for the fifth wicket after they were reduced to 89 for four in the 19th over.
Jadav played a captain's knock with a 59-ball 60, which included three fours and four sixes, while Bali contributed 45 crucial runs.
Bali, who later scalped two Chandigarh batsmen, was declared man of the match.
For Chandigarh Lions, Reetender Singh Sodhi took three wickets while giving away 46 runs.
In reply, Chandigarh Lions never got going and lost crucial wickets at regular intervals. The only Lions batsman who made a match of Delhi bowlers was Chetan Sharma, who scored 61 runs of 51 balls including 10 boundaries.
Left arm-spinner Ali Murtaza picked three wickets for 37 runs while Bali gave away 27 for his two wickets.
Jets, who earned a bonus point from the win, are through to the finals. On the other hand, the Lions have to win their last match with a bonus point to see themselves in the final.
On Wednesday, Hyderabad Heroes play Mumbai Champs.
Brief scores: Delhi Jets 259 all out in 47.5 overs (J P Yadav 60, Abhinav Bali 45, R S Sodhi 3-46); Chandigarh Lions 167 all out in 36 overs (Chetan Sharma 61, Murtaza 3-37, Bali 2-27).
