Patna: Madhya Pradesh defeated Bihar by eight wickets in their final Group A match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20, held at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot. This marked the end of the tournament for both teams, with Bihar winning only two of their seven matches and losing five.
Bihar won the toss and elected to bat, setting a target of 117 runs for the loss of nine wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Captain Sakibul Gani top-scored with 27 runs off 32 balls, including three boundaries, while Ayush Lohruka contributed 25 runs off 17 balls with a four and two sixes. Baljeet Singh Bihari added 21 runs from 20 balls, including a four and a six. Other notable contributions included Dayanand Singh’s 10 runs off 19 balls. The remaining batters struggled to make significant impact, with Bipin Saurabh, Sachin Kumar Singh, and Prashant Kumar Singh scoring 3, 3, and 1 run respectively. Gajendra Singh was dismissed for a duck, while Himanshu Singh (5*) and Nawaz (1*) remained not out.
Madhya Pradesh’s bowling was spearheaded by Tripuresh Singh, who claimed 2 wickets for 14 runs, and Avesh Khan, who took 2 wickets for 17 runs. Kumar Kartikeya Singh also bagged 2 wickets for 14 runs, while Venkatesh Iyer chipped in with one wicket for 19 runs.
In reply, Madhya Pradesh comfortably chased down the target, scoring 118 runs for the loss of two wickets in 17.3 overs. Harsh Gawli anchored the innings with 36 runs off 37 balls, hitting two boundaries and a six. Shubhranshu Senapati remained unbeaten with 32 runs off 37 balls, while Venkatesh Iyer smashed 27 not out off 15 deliveries, including four boundaries. Arpit Gaur contributed 21 runs off 16 balls with three fours.
For Bihar, Gajendra Singh picked up both wickets, conceding 33 runs in his four overs. Nawaz Khan gave away 29 runs in three overs, while Prashant Kumar Singh bowled economically, conceding just 14 runs in 3.3 overs. Despite their efforts, Bihar’s bowlers failed to defend the modest total.
Venkatesh Iyer was adjudged the Player of the Match for his all-round performance.
