Jharkhand, Rajasthan through to SMAT Super League from Group D

Ahmedabad, Dec 6 (PTI) Jharkhand and Rajasthan on Saturday progressed to the Super League stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after winning their respective Group D matches here.

Both the teams have won all their six matches so far to be currently tied on 24 points. They are still left with one match each.

Delhi is third with 12 points.

Strong fifties from Kumar Kushagra and Virat Singh were complemented by a disciplined bowling effort as Jharkhand defeated Tamil Nadu by 28 runs in their Group D match.

Asked to bat, Jharkhand made a woeful start and slipped to 29 for 2 in the fifth over before Kushagra (84 off 48 balls) and Virat (72 off 39 balls) stitched together a 120 runs to take the innings close to the 150 mark in the 15th over.

Virat and Anukul Roy then provided the late acceleration to propel Jharkhand to a strong 207 for 3.

Kushagra struck five fours and as many sixes, while Virat’s innings was laced with 10 boundaries and two sixes.

In reply, Tamil Nadu stayed in contention in the first half of the chase, with Sai Sudharsan (64 off 42 balls) anchoring the effort as they reached 124 for 2 in the 14th over.

However, Sudharsan's run-out in the same over triggered a collapse, and Tamil Nadu failed to recover, finishing at 179 for 7.

Sushant Mishra (2 for 51) and Bal Krishna (2 for 29) picked up two wickets apiece.

Later in the day, Rajasthan edged past Delhi by three wickets after a tense chase, overhauling a target of 176 in their group match.

Chasing 176, Mukul Choudhary hammered a 26-ball 62 to see Rajasthan home off the final delivery, with Shubham Garhwal (29), Karan Lamba (31) and Kunal Singh Rathore (26) providing vital support through the innings.

Earlier, Delhi posted 175 for 5 on the back of a collective batting effort, with Yash Dhull (38), Ayush Badoni (30) and Tejasvi Dahiya (33) all scoring 30-plus contributions.

Saurashtra edge out Karnataka by one run ========================== In another match, Saurashtra registered their narrowest T20 victory in terms of runs, edging Karnataka by one run.

Batting first, Saurashtra rode on collective contributions, with Vishvaraj Jadeja (40) and Siddhant Rana (42) leading the way as they posted 178 for 8.

Their bowlers then held their nerve, with Chetan Sakariya (2 for 37), Jaydev Unadkat (2 for 29) and Prerak Mankad (2 for 37) sharing the spoils to restrict Karnataka to 177 for 9.

Devdutt Padikkal’s 46-ball 66 kept Karnataka in the contest as they reached 103 for 3 in the 13th over, but back-to-back wickets of Manvanth Kumar L (9) and Shubhang Hegde (14) in successive deliveries of the 19th over dented their chase.

Karnataka eventually fell short despite No. 11 batter Vijaykumar Vyshak striking two fours at the death.

In another match, captain Kunal Chandela struck a 37-ball 51 before Jagadeesha Suchith smashed three fours and a six in a seven-ball 21 to steer Uttarakhand to a four-wicket win over Tripura in a last-ball thriller.

Batting first, Tejasvi Jaiswal hit a half-century while Sridam Paul added a quickfire 22-ball 43 as Tripura posted 163 for 6. Uttarakhand were 107 for 4 after 15 overs but Chandela’s composure and Suchith’s late flourish ensured they crossed the line off the final ball.

Brief Scores: Jharkhand 207 for 3 in 20 overs (Kumar Kushagra 84, Virat Singh 72; T Natarajan 1/36) beat Tamil Nadu 179 for 7 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 64; Bal Krishna 2/29) by 28 runs.

Saurashtra 178 for 8 in 20 overs (Vishvaraj Jadeja 40, Siddhant Rana 42; Vijaykumar Vyshak 3/28) beat Karnataka 177 for 9 in 20 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 66; Chetan Sakariya 2/37) by one run.

Delhi 175 for 5 in 20 overs (Yash Dhull 38, Ayush Badoni 30, Tejasvi Dahiya 33) lost to Rajasthan 177 for 7 in 20 overs (Mukul Choudhary 62; Karan Lamba 31, Kunal Singh Rathore 26) by three wickets.

Tripura 163 for 6 in 20 overs (Tejasvi Jaiswal 51, Sridam Paul 43) lost to Uttarakhand 164 for 6 in 20 overs (Kunal Chandela 51, Jagadeesha Suchith 21) by four wickets. PTI ATK ATK PDS PDS