Shreyas Iyer played a brilliant knock [Source: Twitter]
Himachal Pradesh and Mumbai emerged victorious in their respective semi-final matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022 at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. The two sides will now collide for the decorated trophy at the same venue on November 5.
In the meantime, here is a look at the highlights from the two action-packed semi-final fixtures.
Himachal Pradesh held their nerves to secure a 13-run win over a strong Punjab side. For Himachal, middle-order batters Akash Vasisht and Sumeet Verma faced 25 deliveries each and made them count by combining 94 runs between them. The latter of the two even punched out a cracking half-century loaded three boundaries and as many sixes.
Later, captain Rishi Dhawan derailed Punjab's run-chase by claiming three wickets off his four overs. In-form opener Shubman Gill failed to replicate his quarter-final blaze for Punjab, as his 45 was insufficient for his side on the big day.
Himachal Pradesh: 176/7 (20)
Sumeet Verma 51 (25), Akash Vasisht 43 (25);
Sanvir Singh 2-17 (2), Abhishek Sharma 2-20 (4)
Punjab: 163-7 (20)
Shubman Gill 45 (32), Anmolpreet Singh 30 (25);
Rishi Dhawan 3-25 (4), Mayank Dagar 2-27 (4)
Himachal Pradesh won by 13 runs.
India's international veteran Shreyas Iyer powered Mumbai to an easy run-chase against Vidarbha. The right-hander listed 73 aggressive runs off just 44 deliveries and piled on Vidarbha's attack after opener Prithvi Shaw's 21-ball onslaught at the top.
Meanwhile, during his economical spell, Mumbai's ace spinner Shams Mulani stole the show with the ball and claimed three of Vidarbha's wickets.
Vidarbha: 164-7 (20)
Jitesh Sharma 46* (24), Apoorv Wankhade 34 (26);
Shams Mulani 3-20 (4), Shivam Dube 2-15 (2)
Mumbai: 169-5 (16.5)
Shreyas Iyer 73 (44), Prithvi Shaw 34 (21);
Akshay Karnewar 2-24 (3), Darshan Nalkande 2-35 (3)
Mumbai won by five wickets.
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