Kashi seal playoffs berth; Rizviblitz lifts Kanpur to third spot

Lucknow: Kashi Rudras consolidated their top spot on the points table with a 14-run win over Noida Kings, producing an all-round show in the 3rd UPT20 League at Ekana Stadium on Thursday. After posting a modest 168/6, Kashi's bowlers restricted Noida to 154/6 to notch up their seventh win in eight matches, sealing a playoffs berth with two league games still to play.Openers Abhishek Goswami (22) and skipper Karan Sharma (9) fell early, leaving Kashi at 37/2 in 4.2 overs. Deepak Rana (22) and Uvais Ahmad (21) then added 28 runs off 29 balls before Ahmad was caught by Satyam Sangu off Karn Sharma at 65/3 in 9.2 overs. Rana departed at 97/4 in 13.5 overs. Late cameos from Saksham Rai (31), Shubham Chaubey (26) and Shivam Mavi (28) lifted Kashi to a competitive total. In reply, Noida's top six batters collapsed to 67/6 in 12.3 overs. Prashant Veer (52 off 30 balls) and Karn Sharma (34 off 18 balls) tried to stage a fightback but fell short by 14 runs. Shivam Mavi starred with the ball for Kashi, returning 4/39, while Kartik Yadav and Rishabh Rajput chipped in with 1/14 and 1/19 respectively. Earlier, skipper Sameer Rizvi's blistering unbeaten 76, studded with nine sixes, powered Kanpur Superstars to an eight-wicket win over Lucknow Falcons, lifting them to third place. This was Kanpur's third straight victory after losing their first five games. Kanpur's bowlers first restricted Lucknow to 162/8 before Rizvi's fireworks sealed the chase in just 15.4 overs. Riding on Aaradhya Yadav's 59 and Mod Saif's 43, Lucknow posted 162 in their 20 overs. Chasing 163, Deepak Rajput (21) and Shaurya Singh (36) gave Kanpur a solid start of 49 off 35 balls before Rajput was caught by Bhuvneshwar Kumar off Vipraj Nigam. Rizvi then joined Shaurya for a 19-run stand before Shaurya fell to Karan Chaudhary at 68/2 in the eighth over. Adarsh Singh (unbeaten) partnered Rizvi in an explosive 95-run stand off just 47 balls, sealing the win with a six off Abhinandan.

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