Andhra clashed with Uttar Pradesh in the second pre-quarterfinal of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Bangalore. Uttar Pradesh captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the toss and elected to field, a decision that paid off early. Andhra opener Srikar Bharat fell in the third over, followed by Ashwin Hebbar, who Mohsin Khan dismissed in the sixth. The troubles deepened for Andhra as Shivam Mavi removed Shaikh Rasheed in the seventh over, leaving the top order in disarray. Despite the setbacks, skipper Ricky Bhui steadied the innings with a brisk 23 off 18 balls, pushing the score to 71/3 by the 11th over. Just as Bhui appeared to gain momentum, UP spinner Vipraj Nigam struck, claiming his prized wicket. Andhra stood at 80/4 after 13 overs with SDNV Prasad and Pyla Avinash at the crease. However, Andhra struggled to forge meaningful partnerships, as Avinash fell to Vipraj in the 14th over. Even with Tripurana Vijay’s dismissal in the 18th over, Prasad and KV Saikanth anchored the innings. Their efforts helped Andhra post a competitive total of 156/6 in their allotted 20 overs.
In response, Uttar Pradesh openers Karan Sharma and Aryan Juyal got off to a blistering start, propelling the score to 51/0 in just five overs. The pair maintained their aggressive approach, pushing the total to 69/0 by the eighth over. However, Andhra found a breakthrough when Kodavandla Sudharsan dismissed Karan Sharma for a quickfire 48 off 31 balls. Sudharsan struck again in the same over, removing Juyal and slowing UP’s momentum. With Nitish Rana and Priyam Garg at the crease, UP reached 87/2 in 11 overs. Rana, however, couldn’t capitalise and fell to a reckless shot in the 12th over. The pressure mounted as UP faced the daunting task of chasing 69 runs off 48 deliveries. Sudharsan dealt another blow in the 13th over by dismissing Garg, further denting UP’s hopes. Sameer Rizvi and Rinku Singh attempted to rebuild, taking UP to 101/4 in 15 overs. With the required run rate climbing above 11, the duo needed to accelerate. Rizvi’s dismissal by Vijay in the 16th over added to the pressure, but Vipraj and Rinku turned the game on its head with a blistering 22-run 17th over, reducing the equation to 26 runs off the final three overs. The pair kept their composure as the target came down to 17 runs from the last two overs. Ultimately, Uttar Pradesh clinched a thrilling victory by four wickets, with Vipraj and Rinku’s vital 49-run partnership sealing the win.
