Souvenir CC shocked defending champions Payyade Sports Club in a thriller to set up the championship round against Parsee Gymkhana, in the 68th Salar Jung Community Invitation T20 Cricket Tournament.
Electing to bat, Souvenir scored 145 for seven in 20 after recovering from 67 for four with significant partnerships between opener Shoaib Shaikh and Aman Khan who put on 55 for the second wicket, 44 for the fifth wicket between Khan and Ronak Shinde and 24 for the seventh wicket between Yusuf Deshmukh and Prathamesh Angne. Left arm medium pacer Royston Dias claimed three for 35 while Parag Khanapurkar took two for 25 with his leg breaks.
At 124 for eight in 18, Payyade needed 22 in 12 balls when Dabholkar was dismissed. At 130 for nine and with 16 required off the last over, last man Dias smashed a timely boundary to bring them closer to victory. But, with a possible 10 runs needed off the last four balls, Ayaz Shaikh’s run out ended in a dramatic nine-run win for Souvenir.
In another semi-final Parsee Gymkhana beat hosts Islam Gymkhana, Parsee Gymkhana capitalised on poor fielding and 27 extras to reach 167 for five in 20 overs. Opener Aakarshit Gomel slammed an unbeaten 73 with seven boundaries and a six, while captain Raunaq Sharma added 24 with two sixes.
Islam Gymkhana frittered away a promising start by openers Abdul Aziz and Mehboob Shaikh who put on 47 runs in five overs after racing to 39 in three. Shaikh’s dismissal triggered a disappointing collapse that Islam never recovered from as Parsee Gymkhana cruised to a 37-run win.
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