Reaping dividends for producing a clutch of quality IPL performers, Punjab beat Uttar Pradesh by five wickets despite Rinku Singh's brilliance to enter the semi-finals of the Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament in Mohali on Thursday.
Batting first, Rinku, the Indian T20 team's future finisher, smashed 77 off just 33 balls with a half a dozen sixes to take Uttar Pradesh to 169 for 3 in 20 overs.
He added 116 runs for the fourth wicket in just 8.5 overs with Sameer Rizvi (42 off 29 balls).
UP's innings didn't get the required momentum due to poor show from skipper Karan Sharma (14 off 24 balls), who wasted a lot of deliveries up-front.
In reply, in-form Abhishek Sharma (12), Prabhsimran Singh (0) and skipper Mandeep Singh (1) were dismissed cheaply leaving Punjab reeling at 14 for 3 inside first four overs.
But Anmolpreet Singh (43 off 29 balls) and Nehal Wadhera (52 off 39 balls) set up the chase added 72 runs in 9.2 overs before Sanvir Singh (35 off 13 balls) and Ramandeep Singh (22 off 13 balls) blasted 59 in just 4.2 overs to finish the match with five balls to spare.
Left-arm seamer Yash Dayal, whose career turned upside down after being hit five consecutive sixes in the IPL, was once again clobbered by the Punjab batters and went for 53 off 4 overs.
Fellow left-armer Mohsin Khan was the best bowler with figures of 3/34 while veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 2/22 in 4 overs was steady as usual.
The Punjab batters used the extra pace of the likes of Dayal and Kartik Tyagi to score their runs while left-armer Shiva Singh (23 off 3.1 overs) also went for quite a few.
Brief Scores: UP 169/3 in 20 overs (Rinku Singh 77 not out off 33 balls). Punjab 174/5 in 19.1 overs (Nehal Wadhera 52 off 39 balls, Anmolpreet Singh 43 off 29 balls).
Mumbai batters flounder
Mumbai's star-studded batting line-up didn't measure up as Baroda cruised to a three-wicket victory with more than an over to spare in another quarter-final at the newly constructed Mullanpur Stadium.
Batting first, Yashasvi Jasiwal (8) was out cheaply while Ajinkya Rahane (13 off 11 balls) had another poor outing as Mumbai managed a below-par 148/8 in 20 overs.
Rahane scored 175 runs in 8 SMAT games this season with a top score of 76 not out coming in opening encounter against Haryana.
In reply, Baroda stuttered a bit but seasoned Vishnu Solanki (49 not out off 30 balls) performed despite not too many people around him to support. That the total wasn't big enough was an advantage as he hit five fours and two huge sixes to seal the issue for Baroda.
Brief Scores: Mumbai 148/8 on 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 13 off 11 balls, Shivam Dube 48 off 36 balls). Baroda 149/7 in 20 overs (Vishnu Solanki 49 not out off 30 balls)
Delhi crush Vidarbha despite Umesh spell
Anuj Rawat's breezy half-century and a collective performance by bowling unit ensured an easy 39-run win for Delhi against Vidarbha depsite Test star Umesh Yadav picking four wickets for the losing side.
Batting first, Delhi scored 176 for 6 riding on Rawat's 68 off 53 balls with five fours and three sixes and laid the foundation of a decent score with a 105-run second wicket stand with skipper Yash Dhull (43 off 29 balls).
Ayush Badoni's 17-ball-28 run cameo provided finishing touches as Umesh had stand-out figures of 4/30.
In reply, Vidarbha lost half the side for 75 runs by 11th over to surrender the contest to Delhi. They managed 137 for 9 with Dhull using as many as seven bowling options and everyone getting wickets.
Old guard Pradeep Sangwan (1/13 in 2 overs), Navdeep Saini (1/33 in 3 overs) and Mayank Yadav (2/25 in 4 overs) got crucial wickets while off-spinner Lalit Yadav (2/16 in 4 overs) and leg-spinner Suyash Sharma (1/25 in 4 overs) were brilliant during middle overs.
Brief Scores: Delhi 176/6 (Anuj Rawat 68 off 53 balls, Yash Dhull 43 off 29 balls, Umesh Yadav 4/30). Vidarbha 137/9 (Shubham Dubey 44 off 34 balls, Mayank Yadav 2/25, Lalit Yadav 2/16).
Assam make short work of Kerala
Assam, led by the inspirational Riyan Parag, beat Kerala by six wickets in the last quarter-final of the day.
Batting first, Kerala scored 158 for 6, riding on half-centuries from Salman Nizar (57 off 44 balls) and Abdul Basith (54 off 42 balls). Sanju Samson (0) didn't trouble the scorers.
In reply, Assam knocked off the target in 17.1 overs with Sumit Ghadigaonkar scoring 75 off 50 balls.
Brief Scores: Kerala 158/6 (Salman Nizar 57 off 44 balls, Akash Sengupta 3/30) vs Assam 162/4 in 17.1 overs (Sumit Ghadigaonkar 75 off 50 balls).
