NEW DELHI: Ajinkya Rahane's powerful half-century guided Mumbai to a remarkable six-wicket win against Vidarbha, securing their place in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semi-finals on Wednesday.
Chasing Vidarbha's imposing 221 for six, Mumbai's pursuit was spearheaded by Rahane's brilliant 84 off 45 deliveries, including 10 fours and three sixes.
Mumbai achieved the target, scoring 224 for four in 19.2 overs, setting up a semi-final clash with Baroda in Alur on Friday.
Prithvi Shaw demonstrated his batting prowess with a quick 49 off 26 balls, featuring five fours and four sixes, helping Mumbai reach 83 in seven overs.
Shaw's dismissal by Dipesh Parwani initiated a brief unstable period. Shreyas Iyer (5) and Suryakumar Yadav (9) departed swiftly, leaving Mumbai at 118 for three in 11.1 overs.
With 104 runs needed from eight overs, Rahane continued his elegant strokeplay until his departure at 157 in 15.1 overs.
Shivam Dube (37 not out) and Suyansh Shedge (36) formed a crucial partnership, accumulating 67 runs in just over four overs to secure victory. Shedge's assault included a 22-run over against Mandar Mahale, hitting three consecutive sixes and a four.
Earlier, Vidarbha's substantial total was built on contributions from Atharva Taide (66), Apoorva Wankhade (51), and Shubham Dubey (43).
Anuj Rawat powers Delhi into last four
Anuj Rawat delivered a powerful unbeaten 73 from 33 deliveries, including seven fours and five sixes, leading Delhi to a 19-run victory over Uttar Pradesh in the quarterfinal clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Delhi will now face Madhya Pradesh in the semi-finals scheduled for Friday.
After being put into bat, Delhi posted an impressive total of 193 for three, largely due to Rawat's explosive performance. UP could only muster 174 before being dismissed.
Tensions flared during the match when Delhi captain Ayush Badoni and UP all-rounder Nitish Rana had a disagreement after Badoni stepped away from the crease multiple times.
The situation required the on-field officials to step in and restore order between the players.
Uttar Pradesh struggled throughout their chase, with India batter Rinku Singh departing early for 10 runs from seven balls.
Despite Priyam Garg's well-crafted half-century (54 runs from 34 balls with six fours and three sixes), he lacked support from his teammates.
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