After losing to Baroda on Sunday, chances of Mumbai getting to West Zone Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 League qualifiers were slim. But a win over Gujarat has changed their fortunes.
Mumbai beat former champions Gujarat by five wickets in their second West Zone Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 League match in Rajkot, on Monday.
The win revived their hopes of qualification for the next stage, after they lost the opener to Baroda on Sunday. Only the top two teams from five zones each will progress. Mumbai have two gamees remaining — versus Saurashtra and Maharashtra.
Jay Bista scored a 35-ball fifty and stood out in the opening stand of 59 in eight overs, with Bravish Shetty (16), as Mumbai got a solid platform in the chase of 168. Mumbai however, lost three quick wickets, including that of skipper Aditya Tare for a duck with leg-spinner Piyush Chawla striking twice. But experienced Suryakumar Yadav (30) and in-form Siddhesh Lad (20) got together to revive Mumbai’s challenge, with a partnership of 45 runs. Both, however, were dismissed in quick succession. Shivam Dube (23 not-out) and Shashank Singh (22 not-out) came up with late flourish to steer Mumbai home, with four balls to spare. The duo were involved in an unbeaten partnership of 48 runs, in 25 balls.
Earlier, after asking Gujarat to bat first, Mumbai survived wicket-keeper batsman Dhruv Raval’s blitzkrieg 73 runs in 34 balls, to contain former champions Gujarat to 167/7. Raval dominated the opening stand on 57 with Priyank Panchal (8). He hit nine boundaries and four sixes, bringing in his fifty in just 24 balls, before Tushar Deshpande dismissed the danger man in the ninth over. Gujarat, who were going over 10 runs per over, managed just over six runs in the last ten overs.
Mumbai bowlers controlled the flow of runs after Raval’s exit, by picking wickets at regular intervals. Skipper Axar Patel was the only other major contributor with run-a-ball 35 runs.
Dhawal Kulkarni, who was the only bowler to return with decent figures of 29/1 on Sunday, bowled valiantly on Monday as well, by bagging three wickets for 32 runs.
Shardul Thakur who leaked 47 runs in his four overs in the first game, was hammered for 19 runs in his first over, when Raval was batting. He then made good comeback to end with figures of 31/1.
In the opener on Sunday, Baroda, who had got the better of Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy group league earlier in the season, prevailed again in different format by 13 runs.
Baroda, powered by half centuries by Urvil Patel (50 in 29 balls) and captain Deepak Hooda (66 in 39 balls), besides a breezy knock of 44 not out by Krunal Pandya, rattled up an imposing score of 210 for three. In reply, Siddesh Lad’s 82 off 51 balls kept Mumbai in the hunt but they managed 197 for 8 in the end.
