Kanpur: Kanpur Superstars finished their campaign at the ongoing Jio UPT20 with a 37-run victory against the Gorakhpur Lions. Kanpur’s third victory of the season was engineered by Sameer Rizvi’s masterclass as he scored his second century and the fastest of the tournament (47 balls) to guide Kanpur to a massive total of 212/4. Kanpur’s spinners proceeded to outfox the Gorakhpur Lions in the second innings with Kartikeya Yadava (2/22) and Jasmer Dhankar (2/37) consistently finding breakthroughs to defend their total. The result is purely consolatory for the Kanpur Superstars as Kashi Rudras, Noida Super Kings, Meerut Mavericks and Lucknow Falcons have already qualified for the semi-finals.
Electing to bat first the Kanpur Superstars looked eager to finish their campaign on a high note. Openers Rahul Rajpal (33) and Adarsh Singh (23) attacked the Gorakhpur bowling unit to close out the powerplay at an imposing score of 59/1. Both openers, however, fell in quick succession to Sparsh Jain, leaving Kanpur Superstars at 61/2 in 6.5 overs. Sameer Rizvi (104) came in at number three and while he looked to get his eye in, he built a significant partnership with Sandeep Tomar (15) of 36 runs before Shivam Sharma broke the alliance with the wicket of Tomar in the 11th over. By the end of 15 overs, Kanpur had accumulated 128 runs for the loss of three wickets with Sameer Rizvi and Ansh Yadav (28) at the crease. The death overs hosted a blitzkrieg from Sameer Rizvi with Kanpur scoring an astronomical 84 runs in the final five overs. Sameer Rizvi kicked off the assault with three sixes of Vijay Kumar to bring up his half century in the 16th over. Eventually, after Rizvi’s nine sixes and eight fours, the 20th over saw a remarkable milestone as he brought up his second century of the tournament, crafted in just 47 balls before he was scalped by Abdul Rehman. Ansh Yadav also played a vital supporting role to help Kanpur finish with a formidable total of 212/4.
The Gorakhpur Lions responded with force, Openers Dhruv Jurel (29) and Siddharth Yadav (50) put on an impressive 62 runs in the powerplay. Kanpur’s Jasmer Dhankar provided a critical breakthrough when he dismissed Jurel in the seventh over. Dhankar followed it up with the wicket of Siddharth Yadav soon after he brought up his half century in the ninth over, with the score reading 85/2. Using his feet to negate the turn, Abishek Goswami (41) looked to be in fine form, while Sameer Chaudhary (12) fell prey to Kartikeya Yadav after a brisk partnership of 34 runs. At the 15 over mark the Gorakhpur Lions were placed at 142/3 needing 71 runs of 30 balls. Looking to clear the boundary, Yashovardhan Singh (12) became Kartikeya Yadav’s second wicket of the night in the 16th over that only conceded one run. Despite Goswami soldiering on, he was finally scalped by Vineet Panwar in the 19th over as the target proved to be overwhelming. The Lions’ half-hearted push in the final few overs meant they fell significantly short at 175/7 in 20 overs.
Brief Scores
Kanpur Superstars won by 37 runs
Kanpur Superstars – 212/4 in 20 overs (Sameer Rizvi – 104 runs in 49 balls, Rahul Rajpal – 33 runs in 25 balls, Ansh Yadav –28 runs in 19 balls, Sparsh Jain – 2/33, Shivam Sharma – 1/25, Abdul Rehman – 1/42)
Gorakhpur Lions – 175/7 in 20 overs (Siddharth Yadav – 50 runs in 27 balls, Abishek Goswami – 41 runs in 37 balls, Dhruv Jurel – 29 runs in 20 balls, Kartikeya Yadav – 2/22, Jasmer Dhankar – 2/37, Vineet Panwar – 1/24)
