Powered by a blistering century by Yuvraj Chaudhary, the USN Indians defeated the Nainital SG Pipers by 40 runs to emerge as champions of the men’s leg of the Patanjali Uttarakhand Premier League 2024 in the final held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun on Sunday, September 22.
Inserted to bat first, the USN Indians tread on rocky terrain having lost half their side inside the first 13 overs. That’s when Chaudhary (103 off 49) and Akhil Rawat (61 off 25) put on a brilliant partnership of 91 in just over six overs as they posted a mammoth 203 on the board at the end of their 20 overs
In response, the SG Pipers got off to a riveting start with Avneesh Sudha (33 off 22) and Priyanshu Khanduri (26 off 12) smashing the ball to all corners of the park. The duo raised a 51-run partnership in just four overs to put the USN bowlers under the pump but once that stand was broken by Agrim Tiwari (2/32 off three overs), it all came apart for the SG Pipers.
Despite a resounding powerplay, they lost their way in the chase with regular wickets as Sudha was stumped off the bowling of Prashant Chauhan (3/35 off four overs) in the seventh over before Bhanu Pratap Singh (2 off 5), the hero of the Eliminator, met with a similar fate. This saw the asking rate eventually rise and the scoreboard pressure got to the SG Pipers, who tried their best to hit out but suffered a batting collapse in the process.
68/1 soon became 86/5 and then 127/7 with the SG Pipers’ fate all but written on the wall. Harsh Rana (35 off 16) did not give up though, scoring boundaries regularly in what was an enterprising little innings even as Prateek Pandey and Aditya Sethi went for the big shots themselves. But that one big innings that was needed was never to be as it all ended with Sethi’s wicket off the first ball of the 18th over, sparking euphoric celebrations amongst the USN Indians as they remained unbeaten right through the tournament to lift the cup.
USN got not one, but two monumental knocks from their batters after having gotten off to a rickety start. Rajan Kumar (1/55 off four overs) had Aarav Mahajan caught behind for a duck as the latter attempted a pull in vain. Captain Kunal Chandela (5 off 5), who returned from injury to play the final, was sent packing by Nikhil Pundir in the second over. Bhanu Pratap Singh shelled a catch to hand Aryan Sharma (1 off 9) a lifeline but made amends soon after in the powerplay to hold on second time around.
Despite a cluster of early wickets, Chaudhary was in unstoppable nick as he butchered sixes at will much like he has all tournament. It seemed as though he was batting on a different wicket altogether with wickets continuing to fall at the other end. Not once did he second guess his intent and tone down on it, however, raising a fourth half-century on the bounce to keep the USN Indians on course for a competitive total.
In order to get there, he needed an able ally. And he found one in vice-captain Rawat who initially played second fiddle before turning on the heat in the slog overs. After a point, it was a six-hitting exhibition on display with both batters matching each other shot for shot as Chaudhary notched up his maiden hundred of UPL 2024. While he was dismissed towards the end of the 19th over, Rawat bludgeoned a boundary and three maximums off the final over before being run out while attempting a second run off the last ball.
All in all, Chaudhary walloped eleven sixes and Rawat seven to propel the USN Indians from 101/5 in 15 overs to 203/7 by the end of the 20th. Despite the initial scare when they set out to defend that total, they managed to do so by a handsome margin with Chaudhary playing his part with the ball as well as he bagged two wickets. Courtesy of their successful defense, they reiterated just why they stood head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in the competition with a fifth win in as many matches to lift the trophy.
The grand finale was marked by a glittering closing ceremony that featured performances by musical sensations Parmish Verma and Agsy, the band Pandavaas and renowned folk singer ‘Garh Ratna’ Narendra Singh Negi. The honorable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, also graced the occasion before handing over the trophy to the winning team.
Scores: USN Indians 203/7 in 20 overs (Yuvraj Chaudhary 103 off 49, Akhil Rawat 61 off 25, Naveen Kumar Singh 2/39 off four overs) beat Nainital SG Pipers 163 all out in 17.1 overs (Avneesh Sudha 33 off 22, Harsh Rana 35 off 16, Prashant Chauhan 3/35 off four overs) by 40 runs.
