Gujarat lifted the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for second time in three years, edging out Punjab by two wickets in the low-scoring yet exciting all-India T20 final at KIIT Cricket Ground here today. A four-wicket haul by medium-pacer Rohit Dahiya and an unbeaten half-century wicketkeeper-cum-opening batsman Smit Patel enabled Gujarat overhaul a modest target or 118 with one ball to spare.
But before lifting the glittering trophy Gujarat had to overcome many anxious moments as Punjab fought really hard to take match down to the wire. However, it was tremendous achievement for Gujarat, who had no international star in their rank and they had finished runners-up in West Zone league, losing to Mumbai. It was self-belief that helped the Manpreet Juneja-led team come up trumps, winning eight out of nine matches in the entire tournament.
Punjab lost half the battle in the final as they were restricted to 117 for nine after being put into bat. They openers Jaskaranveer Singh and Ravi Inder Singh gave them a decent start, raising 23 runs in 4.4 overs. But after Dahiya broke the stand, dismissing Jaskaranveer, Punjab innings disintegrated. They managed to muster a three-figure total thanks to 41-ball 30 by top-scorer Ravi Inder and a 17-ball 23 by Himanshu Chawla. With his caree-best haul of four for 15, 27-year-old Dahiya finished as the most successful bowler of the tournament with 17 wickets from nine matches at an average of 11.52.
After the impressive bowling performance, Gujarat were expected to win the match comfortably. But contrary to expectations they experienced an ominous start, losing two wickets with only 19 runs on the board. But 21-year-old Smit Patel`s unbeaten 50 (49b, 3x4, 1x6) and two 30-plus partnerships he was associated with enabled Gujarat romp home eventually. Patel first put on 35 runs for third wicket with Rujul Bhatt and added another 31 for the sixth wicket with Jesal Karia. He was adjudged the player of the match.
Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) secretary Asirbad Behera handed over the trophy and medals at the presentation ceremony. KIIT University Registrar Prof Sasmita Samanta, OCA treasurer Satya Mohanty, jointsecretary Sanjib Dutta, vice-president Dhiren Palai, CEO Bidyut Kumar Nayak, KIIT University Sports Director Gaganendu Dash, Sports Officer Rashmita Mohanty, DRIEMS Sports Director Naba Kishore Mishra were present on the occasion.
BRIEF SCORE: Punjab 117/9 in 20 overs (Ravi Inder Singh 30, Himanshu Chawla 23; Rohit Dahiya 4/15, Jesal Karia 2/28) lost to Gujarat 123/8 in 19.5 overs (Smit Patel 50 n.o, Rujul Bhatt 23; Taruwar Kohli 2/20, Siddharth Kaul 2/28) by 2 wkts.
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PHOTO: Members of Gujarat team with Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Bhubaneswar on April 7, 2015.