Punjab's batters fired in unison to set up a strong base for the bowlers to complete a crushing 183-run win over Madhya Pradesh and storm into the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Asked to bat first, Punjab were well served by skipper Prabhsimran Singh's 86-ball 88, Anmolpreet Singh's 62-ball 70, Nehal Wadhera's 56 off 38 deliveries, and Harnoor Singh's 51 off 71 balls as the side posted an imposing 345 for six in the quarterfinal.
Earlier, Ramandeep Singh blazed away to a 24 off 15 balls toward the end as Punjab closed in on the 350-mark.
In reply, MP were bowled out for 162 in 31.2 overs.
Tripuresh Singh (2/61 in 10 overs) and captain Venkatesh Iyer (2/60 in 7 overs) were the most successful bowlers for Madhya Pradesh.
Iyer's decision to bowl first did not yield the desired result for MP as Punjab enjoyed an excellent start with the opening duo of Prabhsimran and Harnoor adding 166 runs in just over 21 overs.
The surface looked good for batting and both Prabhsimran and Harnoor made use of the favourable conditions to put the Madhya Pradesh bowlers under pressure, while laying the foundation for a big total for their team.
Aryan Pandey got the game's first breakthrough when he dismissed Harnoor in the 22nd over, only for Anmolpreet to come in and continue the momentum for Punjab with his brisk run-scoring.
Mixing caution with aggression, Prabhsimran seemed to be marching towards a hundred in the company of the fluent Anmolpreet.
However, Kuldeep Sen cut short Prabhsimran's stay in the middle when he had him caught by Saransh Jain in the 30th over.
Naman Dhir got himself a few boundaries before falling for a 20-ball 23.
Punjab were 199 for three at that stage of the innings that had just entered the 36th over, and in walked in Nehal Wadhera.
Wadhera's stay in the middle changed the complexion of the Punjab innings completely as he added 76 quick runs with Anmolpreet for the fourth wicket, relying on quick running between the wickets and frequent boundaries to keep MP on the back foot.
Unlike Punjab, MP were off to a disastrous start as they slipped to 66 for five in the 17th over, and when Rajat Patidar fell for a 40-ball 38 in the 27th over with the total reading 132 for seven, the match was as good as over.
Besides Patidar, only Tripuresh Singh (31) crossed 30 for MP in a forgettable outing with the bat. After having a great tournament with both bat and India ball, all-rounder Iyer could not deliver in this knockout game.
Sanvir Singh (3/31 in 6 overs) was the most successful bower for Punjab and there were two wickets apiece for Gurnoor Brar, Krish Bhagat and Ramandeep Singh.
Brief Scores:
Punjab: 345/6 in 50 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 88, Anmolpreet Singh 70, Nehal Wadhera 56, Harnoor Singh 51)
Madhya Pradesh: 162 all out in 31.2 overs (Rajat Patidar 38; Sanvir Singh 3/31.
Nehal Wadhera slams quickfire fifty
The back end of the innings was highlighted by a blistering performance from Nehal Wadhera, who slammed a blistering 56 off just 38 balls. His aggressive knock ensured that Punjab capitalised on the platform set by the openers, pushing the total past the 250-mark by the 41st over.
Ramandeep Singh (24 from 15 balls) and Sanvir Singh (13 from 8 balls) scored some quick runs at the end as Punjab finished on a huge 345/6 in 50 overs.
For MP, skipper Venkatesh Iyer bagged 2/60 in seven overs, while Tripuresh Singh picked up 2/61 in his 10-over spell.
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