Even 198 is not enough: Chhattisgarh power past Uttarakhand with nine balls to spare198 का लक्ष्य भी पड़ा छोटा, छत्तीसगढ़ ने नौ गेंद पहले उत्तराखंड से छीन ली बाज़ी

Chhattisgarh turned a daunting Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy target into a comfortable finish at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, reaching 202/5 in 18.3 overs to beat Uttarakhand by 5 wickets in Elite Match 15 of the 2026/27 season.

Uttarakhand's big total built on one partnership

Uttarakhand finished on 197/6 in their 20 overs, and the innings was shaped by the stand between Jagadeesha Suchith and Avneesh Sudha, who added 98 runs in just 53 balls. Suchith made 46 off 28 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes before he was run out. Sudha stayed unbeaten on 48 off 29, hitting 2 fours and 3 sixes.

There were quick cameos at the top as well. Tejasvi Jaiswal hit 26 off 12 balls, including 4 fours and a six, while Yuvraj Chaudhary added 26 off 19. Shubham Agarwal was the most successful Chhattisgarh bowler with 2/39 in his four overs. Sourabh Majumdar took 1/30, while Jayant Yadav conceded only 26 in four overs without a wicket. Sandeep Warrier went for 57 runs in his four overs for one wicket.

Mandal and Tiwari take the chase away

Chasing 198, Chhattisgarh lost Ayush Pandey without a run on the board, but Vikalp Tiwari and Amandeep Khare added 66 in 27 balls for the second wicket. Tiwari raced to 50 off only 17 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes before falling leg before. Mandal then anchored the chase with 66 off 37 balls, an innings of 8 fours and 2 sixes that ended when he was caught.

Rahul Pradhan was a key partner for Mandal. The pair put on 73 runs in 47 balls. Pradhan contributed 25 off 19 before he was caught.

Shashank Chandrakar (20 not out off 11, with two sixes) and Prateek Yadav (15 not out off 13) finished the job with an unbroken stand of 29 in 16 balls, and Chhattisgarh got home with 9 balls remaining.

Uttarakhand's bowlers could not hold the line

Akash Madhwal and Agnivesh Ayachi picked up two wickets each, for 41 runs in 3.3 overs and 30 runs in three overs respectively. Sudha, so effective with the bat, also took 1/32 in four overs. But Janmejay Joshi conceded 37 in four overs without a wicket, and Chhattisgarh's batters kept the scoring rate high enough to make those breakthroughs insufficient.

The result was settled by Chhattisgarh's fast starts and Mandal's innings, which set up a chase that Uttarakhand's 98-run partnership could not defend.