Delhi beat Andhra by six wickets, record their second successive win

Delhi recorded their second straight win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after beating Andhra Pradesh by six wickets in an Elite Group E game, here on Wednesday.

Put into bat at the Wankhede Stadium, Andhra were restricted to 124/9 in their 20 overs, as Delhi bowlers led by left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan (3/33), put up an impressive show.

Delhi chased the target with three overs to spare even as skipper and India opener Shikhar Dhawan (5) fell cheaply.

For Andhra, Ashwin Hebber, who walked in at number five (32) was the top scorer as their entire top-order including skipper Ambati Rayadu (1), stumper K S Bharat (8) and Ricky Bhuvi (0) struggled.

Andhra were reeling at 36 for four at one stage. Their innings never got going as Delhi made regular inroads. India speedster Ishant Sharma (2/17), right-arm pacer Simarjeet Singh (2/21) and off-spinner Lalit Yadav (2/22) played their roles to perfection.

For Delhi, the chase wasn’t exactly a walk in the park as they were reduced to 10 for two. But Nitish Rana (27) and Anuj Rawat (33) shared 52-runs for the third wicket to bring them back into the game.

After the two departed, Himmat Singh (32 not out) and Lalit Yadav (20 not out) ensured that there were no further hiccups as they forged an unbeaten 40-run fifth wicket



stand to take their side home.

Delhi had defeated Mumbai in their opening game.

Barot, Mankad and Sakaria shine as Saurashtra hand Vidarbha 79-run defeat

Opener Avi Barot and Prerak Mankad struck half centuries before Chetan Sakariya claimed a five-wicket haul as Saurashtra recorded a comfortable 79-run win over Vidarbha in a Group ‘D’ match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, here on Wednesday.

Opting to bat, Saurashtra rode on Barot (93 off 44) and Mankad’s (59 off 26 balls) innings to post a mammoth 233 for seven.

The pace duo of Chetan Sakariya (5/11) and Mankad (4/48) then wreaked havoc with the ball as Vidarbha were bundled out for 154 in 17.2 overs.

Barot, who was unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved century, hit 13 fours and four sixes while Mankad’s innings was laced with six boundaries and four maximums.

For Vidarbha, medium pacer Darshan Nalkande (4/32) was the pick of the bowlers while Yash Thakur (2/47) claimed a two wickets.

In the chase, Vidarbha was off to a bright start with opener Jitesh Sharma scoring a 27-ball 43.

However, no other batsman could up fight against Sakariya and Mankad, who kept striking at regular intervals. Three Vidarbha players returning to the pavilion without opening their account.