KOLKATA: Punjab, Vidarbha and Saurashtra recorded wins over their respective opponents to seal quarterfinal berths in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament on Sunday.
Sheldon Jackson top-scored for Saurashtra with a 44-ball 64 (4x4, 4x6) as they overcame a late challenge from Kerala to win by nine runs and set up a quarterfinal clash against Mumbai.
Opening the batting, Indian Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara departed for run a ball 11 (2x4) as Saurashtra lost two wickets in the Power Play before Jackson led the charge to take them to 183 for six.
Kerala too had a jittery start but skipper Sanju Samson and Sachin Baby kept them in the hunt in an entertaining 98-run partnership.
Samson slammed a 38-ball 59 (8x4) but he failed to finish off the chase, falling to Prerak Mankad (2/26) in the 16th over. Baby remained unbeaten on 64 (47b; 6x4, 2x6) but it was not enough as the Kerala bowlers had their way.
In the first match at Eden Gardens, wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh and opener Abhishek Sharma slammed half-centuries as Punjab overcame a shaky start defeat to Haryana by 49 runs that set up their last-eight clash against Karnataka.
Punjab lost their star Indian batter Shubman Gill (4) in the third over with Mohit Sharma giving Haryana an early breakthrough after they opted to field.
But thereafter Haryana struggled to make further inroads as Sharma in the company of Singh settled in the Power Play and led them to 176 for seven.
Singh smashed five sixes and five fours en route to a 36-ball 64, while Sharma remained unbeaten on a 48-ball 50 (5x4, 1x6) in a 100-run partnership.
In reply, Haryana were restricted to 172/9 as Punjab put up a disciplined bowling effort with medium pacer Baltej Singh leading the way in a fine spell of 4-1-20-3.
Nishant Sindhu waged a lone battle for Haryana in a 25-ball 42 but Siddharth Kaul (2/29) triggered the collapse before Singh wreaked havoc taking two in two balls. Haryana went on to lose five wickets in addition to just four runs to manage just 127/9.
At Jadavpur University second campus ground, veteran pacer Umesh Yadav grabbed 3/27 from his four overs as Vidarbha put up a spirited bowling show to defeat Chhattisgarh by five wickets. Vidarbha will now face Delhi in the quarterfinal.
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