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Salil Arora’s SMAT 2025 ton in vain as Kushagra blitz destroys Punjab’s 235 in record chase

Soumyajit Dutta

The match between Punjab and Jharkhand [Source: @cricmawa/X]The match between Punjab and Jharkhand [Source: @cricmawa/X]

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 witnessed a historic run-chase from Jharkhand as the Ishan Kishan-led team managed to chase down a total of 236 inside 19 overs in the 115th match on December 12 at the D.Y. Patil Academic Ground.

While 235 in itself is a mammoth total, chasing it down with 11 balls left is another feat that very few teams might ever manage to achieve. With hot names, who might get attention for the IPL Mini Auction, playing in this contest, let's take a look at how the match panned out.

Salil Arora whips up 39-ball century to boost Punjab's total

After winning the toss, Jharkhand chose to bowl, and Punjab came in to whack a whirlwind in the stadium as wicketkeeper-batter Salil Arora played at a strike rate of 277.78 to notch a 39-ball century.

There was also PBKS fame, Prabhsimran Singh present, who only managed 10 runs as an opener, with sub-par contributions from the top and middle order. Significantly, it was the unbeaten 125-run knock of Salil Arora off just 45 balls that helped Punjab pull up a total of 235 runs in their first innings.

From Jharkhand's side, Bal Krishna and Sushant Mishra impressed with their two-wicket hauls, while Rajandeep Singh and Vikas Kumar also contributed with one wicket each.

Punjab's lineup also consisted of Naman Dhir and Ramandeep Singh, who are well-known faces in the IPL. However, they only managed to get 27 runs and 8 runs respectively, as Punjab rode on the back of Arora's magnificent century.

Kumar Kushagra counter-attacks to wrap the game early

In response, Jharkhand whipped up another storm with the bat. Ishan Kishan, the skipper, came in as an opener to post a 23-ball 47 that gave an upper hand to the chasing team. 

Inside the first 9 overs, Jharkhand reached their 100-run mark with Kumar Kushagra aggressively attacking on the field. Anukul Roy also had a brilliant hitting display as he smacked 2 sixes and 4 boundaries to score 37 off 17 deliveries.

While Jharkhand batters rose, Punjab's Harpreet Brar, Ayush Goyal, and Ashwani Kumar bore the brunt of the attack with their poor economy rates and ineffective bowling.

An equation which once read as 124 runs needed in 66 balls was soon accelerated down by Kushagra, Pankaj Singh, and Anukul Roy to bring it to just 16 runs from 18 balls. The 19th over saw Pankaj Kumar finish the game in style with a towering six to Goyal as Jharkhand won the match with 6 wickets remaining.