Punjab beat Haryana by four wickets as Vihaan Malhotra's 86 and Uday Saharan's late burst finish a 191 chaseविहान मल्होत्रा के 86 और उदय सहारन की अंतिम तेज़ी से पंजाब ने हरियाणा के 191 रन चेज़ कर चार विकेट से जीता मैच

Punjab turned a tight chase into a four-wicket win over Haryana in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Elite Match 8 at The Daly College, Indore, finishing on 193/6 in 19.1 overs against a target of 191. Vihaan Malhotra anchored the innings with 86 from 50 balls, and Uday Saharan closed it out with an unbeaten 42 from 18.

Punjab had won the toss and chosen to field.

Haryana's late surge set a stiff target

Haryana finished on 190/6, but the innings had uneven phases. They were 44/2 after six overs and 82/3 after ten. Overs 7-15 brought 91 runs for three wickets, and the last five overs added 55 for one.

Dinesh Bana made 42 from 20 balls with five sixes, and he and Yashvardhan Dalal (25 from 22) added 38 from 19 balls for the fourth wicket. Samant Jakhar hit 24 from 12 with three sixes. The finish came from Rahul Tewatia, who was unbeaten on 35 from 20, and Sumit Kumar, who was not out on 20 from 12. Their unbroken seventh-wicket stand was worth 51 from 25 balls.

Harpreet Brar took 2 for 34 for Punjab, while Sukhdeep Bajwa, Raghu Sharma, Sanvir Singh and Ramandeep Singh each took one wicket.

Malhotra built the chase, Sumit Kumar threatened it

Prabhsimran Singh and Malhotra gave Punjab a fast start, adding 56 from 30 balls for the first wicket. Punjab were 58/1 after six overs and 97/2 after ten.

Then Sumit Kumar swung the contest back towards Haryana. He removed Salil Arora at 113/3, Ramandeep Singh at 119/4 and Malhotra at 128/5. At that point, after 14 overs, Punjab needed 63 from 36 balls. Malhotra had scored 30 from 12 balls off Sumit before he was dismissed, so the bowler's wicket also ended a costly duel. Sumit finished with 3 for 55 from four overs.

Saharan and Sanvir Singh changed the equation

Punjab were 134/5 after 15 overs, but the required rate soon eased. Sanvir Singh, who made 21 from 14, and Saharan added 57 from 29 balls for the sixth wicket. The 18th over produced 21 runs, taking Punjab from 152/5 to 173/5 and leaving 18 needed from 12 balls.

The 19th over, bowled by Anuj Thakral, went 4, 6, wide, dot, 1, wicket, 4. It cost 16 runs, lifted Punjab to 189/6 and left two needed from six. Those two overs brought 37 runs. Saharan then hit the first ball of the 20th over, from Tewatia, for four to complete the chase. Against Sumit Kumar, Saharan had also scored 14 from four balls.

The margin ended up comfortable, but the match turned on the three Sumit wickets in the middle overs and Punjab's answer in the 18th and 19th. Yuzvendra Chahal conceded 27 from four overs without a wicket, and Thakral took 2 for 40.