Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Chhattisgarh pip defending champions TN in thriller

LUCKNOW: Former Andhra pacer M Ravi Kiran bowled a perfect final over as Chhattisgarh stunned defending champions Tamil Nadu by six runs in their group E Syed Mushtaq Ali opener on Tuesday.

Chasing 133, the reigning champions needed just nine runs from the final over with G Ajitesh looking in ominous form with three sixes and one boundary, while Shahrukh Khan was at the other end.

But all hell broke loose as the tall former Andhra pacer dismissed Shahrukh Khan (11; 9b), R Sai Kishore (0) and Ajitesh (23; 8b) in four balls, before Varun Chakravarthy (0) had a suicidal runout to be restricted to 126/9. The 31-year-old returned with fine figures of 4-0-26-3.

Tamil Nadu got off to a jittery start when opener Narayan Jagadeesan (7) fell cheaply inside fourth over and it was Hari Nishaanth (33), who came in as an Impact Player replacing T Natarajan, who built the early damage, adding 37-run for the second wicket with skipper Baba Aparajith (18).

Opting to bat, Chhattisgarh managed just 132/5 in the stipulated 20 overs which came courtesy skipper Harpreet Singh's valiant 40-ball 49, studded with two sixes and two fours.

But he failed to convert his start becoming Varun Chakravarthy's second victim (2/12). Just when they were staring down the barrel, Ajay Mandal propped up the total with a 32-ball 38 not out with three sixes and one four.

Brief Scores

Chhattisgarh 132/5; 20 overs (Harpreet Singh 49, Ajay Mandal 38 not out; Varun Chakravarthy 2/12). Tamil Nadu 126/9; 20 overs (Hari Nishaanth 33, G Ajitesh 23; Ravi Kiran 3/26, Sahban Khan 2/21). Chhattisgarh won by six runs. Points: Chhattisgarh 4, Tamil Nadu 0.

Sikkim 100/6; 20 overs (Pankaj Rawat 34; Jayanta Behera 2/19). Odisha 101/1; 15.2 overs (Anshy Rath 33 not out, Subhranshu Senapati 33 not out). Odisha won nine wickets. Points: Odisha 4, Sikkim 0.

Bengal v Jharkhand: Match abandoned without a ball bowled. Points: Bengal 2, Jharkhand 2.

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