SMAT: Uttar Pradesh rout Jammu & Kashmir

Aryan Juyal struck his second successive fifty, while Prashant Veer produced an fine all-round effort as Uttar Pradesh outclassed Jammu and Kashmir by 109 runs in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT)  Group B match on Friday. This was Uttar Pradesh’s second win on the trot as they went to the top of Group B standings with eight points.

Fresh from a match-winning 93 not out against Goa, the promising wicketkeeper-batter Juyal was in his elements again, smashing three sixes and four fours in a 40-ball 51 to guide UP to 193/6 after Jammu and Kashmir opted to bowl.

Veer, the left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder, later returned with 3/20 to go with a blistering unbeaten 10-ball 37 (4x6, 3x4), including 24 runs in the final over off pacer Auqib Nabi, to give the UP innings a decisive push.

Earlier, skipper Karan Sharma (32 off 24; 4x4, 1x6) and Juyal put on a free-flowing 73-run opening stand as UP cruised through the Powerplay without losing a wicket. Umran Malik was brought in to break the stand and he troubled the batters with raw pace.

He even had Juyal caught behind, only for the delivery to be called a no-ball for overstepping. The breakthrough came in the ninth over when he dismissed Karan, before Priyam Garg fell to spinner Murugan Ashwin. Umran got Juyal soon after the latter reached his fifty, removing him off the fifth ball of the same over.

UP suddenly slipped to 97/4, losing four wickets for 24 runs, as J&K’s decision to bowl first seemed vindicated. But Veer turned the momentum again. He found a solid ally in Siddharth Yadav (24 18b; 2x4, 1x6) as the pair rebuilt with a fifty-plus stand before Veer’s late carnage off Nabi. Jammu and Kashmir’s chase never took off as they folded for a meek 84, with skipper Shubham Khajuria absent hurt.

Opener Qamran Iqbal top-scored with 20 before the spin duo of leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam (3/25) and Veer tightened the noose. Umran showed some late hitting with one six and a four, but he fell to a superb diving effort by Rinku Singh near the boundary. Sunil Kumar took 2/11 from 3.3 overs, while veteran India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar returned 1/14 from two overs.

Prithvi Shaw slams 66 Prithvi Shaw roared back to form with an explosive fifty, while Arshin Kulkarni struck an unbeaten 89 as Maharashtra cruised to an eight-wicket win over Hyderabad. Maharashtra were assured and clinical in their chase of 192. Shaw and Kulkarni added 117 for the opening wicket, aided by Hyderabad’s sloppy fielding and several dropped catches.

Eyeing a good outing ahead of next month’s IPL mini-auction after going unsold last season, Shaw, who had a fruitful first half of Ranji season for his new domestic state, capitalised on a reprieve and smashed three sixes and nine fours in his 36-ball 66. Kulkarni, dropped three times, stayed unbeaten on 89 off 54 balls to finish the job. Following Shaw’s dismissal, IPL veteran Rahul Tripathi joined Kulkarni to seal the chase with eight balls to spare.

Venkatesh Iyer shines Venkatesh Iyer produced an all-round show at his former IPL home ground as Madhya Pradesh registered a commanding 62-run win over Bihar. Teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi (13 off 9) failed after a brisk start, and Bihar folded for 112 in 19.2 overs to suffer their second straight defeat.

A key member of KKR’s 2024 IPL-winning squad, Iyer -- released ahead of next month’s auction after an underwhelming season despite a Rs 23.75 crore price tag -- struck a composed 55 not out off 34 balls (3x4, 2x6). Along with wicketkeeper-batter Harsh Gawli (50 off 44), he lifted MP to an above-par 174/8 after Bihar chose to bowl. Mohammed Izhar claimed 4/39 for Bihar.

Brief Scores:

Hyderabad 191/8; 20 overs (Chama Milind 35 not out, Tanay Thyagarajan 32; Jalaj Saxena 2/25) lost to Maharashtra 192/2; 18.4 overs (Arshin Kulkarni 89 not out, Prithvi Shaw 66, Rahul Tripathi 26 not out) by eight wickets.

Uttar Pradesh 193/6; 20 overs (Aryan Juyal 51; Umran Malik 3/37) bt Jammu and Kashmir 84; 15.2 overs (Prashant Veer 3/20, Vipraj Nigam 3/25) by 109 runs.

Madhya Pradesh 174/8; 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 55 not out, Harsh Gawli 50; Mohammaed Izhar 4/39) bt Bihar 112; 19.2 overs (Bipin Saurabh 32; Shivang Kumar 3/25, Tripuresh Singh 2/11, Shivam Shukla 2/20) by 62 runs.