SMAT 2024/25: Uttar Pradesh beat Andhra to reach quarter-finals
What's the story
Uttar Pradesh beat Andhra to reach the quarter-finals of the 2024/25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's premier domestic T20 competition. UP successfully chased down 157, with Rinku Singh and Vipraj Nigam shining forth at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Earlier skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Vipraj took two wickets each. UP would now face Delhi in the second quarter-final on December 11.
Andhra innings
Andhra lose early wickets before stabilizing
Andhra were off to a shaky start after being invited to bat. They lost openers Srikar Bharat and Ashwin Hebbar in the Powerplay. They were eventually down to 86/5 as UP dominated the middle phase. However, SDNV Prasad (34*) and KV Sasikanth (23*) eventually propelled Andhra to 156/6. Nigam was the pick of UP's bowlers, having taken two wickets for 20 runs (four overs).
UP innings
Rinku, Nigam power UP to victory
Aryan Juyal and Karan Sharma started well for UP with a 70-run stand. The latter hammered a 31-ball 48. However, Kodavandla Sudharsan dismissed them in one over to give Andhra momentum. By the 16th over, UP were down to 109/6. Rinku and Nigam joined forces thereafter, guiding UP to victory. Sasikanth leaked 22 runs in the 17th over, which turned the tide for UP.
Information
Bhuvneshwar raced to 310 T20 wickets
As mentioned, UP skipper Bhuvneshwar took two wickets in the match. Bhuvneshwar, who was once India's mainstay pacer across formats, has raced to 310 wickets from 294 matches. He took 90 wickets in 87 T20Is for India.
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UP to face Delhi in second quarter-final
All eight quarter-finals for the 2024/25 SMAT have been sealed. UP become the eighth side to reach this stage. They will face Delhi in their quarter-final clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on December 11.
Twitter Post
Rinku, Nigam shine in death overs
4⃣,6⃣,4⃣,6⃣ 🔥
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 9, 2024
A match-turning over ?
With 48 needed off 24, Rinku Singh and Vipraj Nigam smash 22 off the 17th over to bring the equation down to 26 needed off 18 👌👌#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/4hVd1pYmE6 pic.twitter.com/UmTcPorgZg