The Dehradun Warriors bounced back from a shock defeat last evening to register a comprehensive 37-run win over Nainital SG Pipers in Match 3 of the Patanjali Uttarakhand Premier League 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun on Monday, September 16.
After being put in to bat by SG Pipers skipper Rajan Kumar, the Warriors whipped up a massive score of 196/4, with Sanskar Rawat (73 off 51), Aanjaneya Suryavanshi (43* off 29) and Dikshanshu Negi (38* off 15) as the chief protagonists towards the same. In response, the SG Pipers began positively with Avneesh Sudha (33 off 22) setting the tone early on even as Priyanshu Khanduri (6 off 9) couldn’t quite match him shot for shot.
From 42/0 in 4.3 overs though, things went haywire as Khanduri, Sudha and Harsh Rana (0 off 1) fell within the space of six deliveries with Sudha’s run out throwing a spanner into the works of the chase. Thereafter, it was a case of one stumbling block upon another as wickets fell regularly and a struggling Sachin Bhati (4 off 12) was retired out. Wicket-keeper batter Prateek Pandey (57 off 32) waged a lone battle as he notched up a flamboyant fifty. But with the SG Pipers losing far too many wickets, it was too steep a task for him to pull off by himself.
Skipper Rajan Kumar (15* off 4) struck some lusty blows but it was all a case of ‘too little, too late’ as the SG Pipers were restricted to 159/9. Abhay Negi (1/25 off four overs including a maiden), Satyam Baaliyan (2/36 off four overs) and Deepak Kumar (2/34 off four overs) stood out for the Warriors in what was a collective bowling effort that got the job done.
Earlier in the contest, the Warriors turned in an even better batting display than what they put up against the Haridwar Spring Elmas on Sunday. Sanskar and Vaibhav Bhatt (22 off 17) reeled off 59 runs in the powerplay before the latter was run out off the last ball of the seventh over. A partnership of 68 runs for the third wicket between Sanskar and Suryavanshi saw the Warriors maintain a high scoring rate, with the former raising his half-century and going on to score a solid 73 studded with five fours and as many sixes.
Once Rana (1/12 off two overs) broke the stand, Suryavanshi was starved of the strike for a fair bit even as skipper Aditya Tare (12 off 11) failed to make a big contribution. The turning point came in the form of Dikshanshu Negi’s cameo though as he blazed away at the death with two fours and four maximums. Momentum remained firmly with the Warriors as yet another huge total was posted in the early stages of UPL 2024. Thereafter, their bowlers ensured that they didn’t repeat the mistakes of last night and shut the door firmly on the SG Pipers.
Scores: Dehradun Warriors 196/4 in 20 overs (Sanskar Rawat 73 off 52, Aanjaneya Suryavanshi 43* off 29, Harsh Rana 1/12 off 2 overs) beat Nainital SG Pipers 159/9 in 20 overs (Avneesh Sudha 33 off 22, Prateek Pandey 57 off 32, Deepak Kumar 2/34 off 4 overs) by 37 runs.
