A magnificent all-round display by Bhanu Pratap Singh (4/17, 40 off 28 and 1 catch) was the chief catalyst towards Nainital SG Pipers’ four-wicket victory over Pithoragarh Hurricanes in the Eliminator of the Patanjali Uttarakhand Premier League 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Dehradun on Saturday, September 21. The result put the SG Pipers into the summit clash where the USN Indians await on Sunday.
The SG Pipers opted to field first having won the toss and executed their plans superbly to keep the Hurricanes down to 157/8 in their 20-over quota. In response, openers Avneesh Sudha (20 off 17) and Priyanshu Khanduri (26 off 26) continued with their rich vein of form to get the team off to yet another brisk start in the powerplay.
While their 33-run opening partnership set the tone for the chase, the SG Pipers were jolted by a double-whammy as Hurricanes captain Akash Madhwal (3/20 off 3.1 overs) dismissed Sudha and Kartik Bhatt (4 off 3) in the fifth over. In walked Bhanu as he took charge with regular boundaries, taking over the role of the aggressor with Khanduri playing second fiddle. Their partnership of 45 runs ensured they were ahead of the asking rate before Harsh Rana (28* off 22) complemented Bhanu well enough himself post Khanduri’s dismissal.
Madhwal, who endured a difficult round-robin phase with the ball, was immaculate with his plans and execution this time around. Having bagged three wickets though, he opted against bowling himself out early and while Sunny Kashyap (2/27 off three overs) picked up a couple of his own and Shivam Gupta (1/30 off four overs) sent opposition skipper Rajan Kumar’s leg stump for a walk, the required rate was always within control for the SG Pipers. Along expected lines, they romped home in style with Kashyap’s 16-run 17th over proving to be the writing on the wall. Madhwal held himself back until the 19th over and he sent down a lone ball which was put away to the fence for the winning runs.
It was Bhanu’s day out in Dehradun having made a telling impact with the ball as well prior to his hit out with the bat. Seamer Nikhil Pundir (1/20 off two overs) went for a few runs initially even as he castled Sanyam Arora (12 off 12) in the fourth over of the Hurricanes’ batting essay. Aditya Naithani (38 off 28) kept the scoreboard moving at a good clip although Neeraj Rathour (8 off 19) endured a torrid time in the middle, unable to get any sort of momentum going into his innings.
That’s when a collapse began as the Hurricanes sank from 65/1 to 93/6 as Bhanu wreaked havoc through the middle-overs. It eventually took Kashyap’s 11-ball 27-run blitz and Hitesh Naula’s unbeaten 22-ball 34 to propel the total to 157/8 as 30 runs came off the last two overs bowled by Mayank Mishra (2/30 off four overs) and Rajan (0/19 off two overs). Mishra did land a couple of key blows, however, including that of Kashyap in the 19th over and save for those last two overs, the SG Pipers enjoyed a fine outing on the field before it translated into their batting essay too.
The SG Pipers will now root for their female compatriots in the final against the Mussoorie Thunders before stepping onto the park for their own summit clash against the USN Indians tomorrow.
Scores: Pithoragarh Hurricanes 157/8 in 20 overs (Aditya Naithani 38 off 28, Hitesh Naula 34* off 22, Bhanu Pratap Singh 4/17 off three overs) lost to Nainital SG Pipers 158/6 in 18.1 overs (Bhanu Pratap Singh 40 off 28, Harsh Rana 28* off 22, Akash Madhwal 3/20 off 3.1 overs) by 4 wickets.
