Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Rain thwarts frustrated Punjab, lose to Hyderabad by two runs

CHANDIGARH: There was a smile on Mandeep Singh's face after he edged one to Ambati Rayudu off Mohamaad Siraj's bowling as rain had again cost Punjab dearly. They went down by a couple of runs to Hyderabad under the D/L method in their Group C encounter of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 26, here on Friday.
Chasing a modest 150, Punjab at one stage were cruising with Shubman Gill (48 off 42b; 4x4, 2x6) and Gurkeerat Mann (16 not out off 16b; 2x4) were at the crease. But a 20-minute rain interruption changed the scenario, as they failed to get to the revised target of 100 in 14 overs.
Shubman, who was playing a risk-free innings lost his momentum and was caught by Akash Bhandari, who was patrolling at long leg. Shubman was at his dominant best on the two-paced wicket. He took his time initially but played a few eye-catching shots during his innings.
Shubman's departure brought skipper Mandeep to the crease and he showed the intent from the first ball. He planted Chama Milind for a straight six over his head. In the final over, he flicked Siraj for a six over fine leg. But despite the late push, he failed to get his team over the line.
For Hyderabad, Mohamaad Siraj (1/26), Chama Milind (1/13), Ravi Teja (1/22) and Mehedi Hasan (1/11) chipped in with a wicket apiece.
Earlier, Hyderabad skipper Ambati Rayudu won the toss and opted to bat. Openers Tanmay Agarwal (42 off 46b; 3x4) and Rayudu (34 off 25b; 4x4, 1x6) gave Hyderabad a flying start of 61 runs for the first wicket. Rayudu looked in an extremely good touch but failed to convert his start as he was caught by Sandeep Sharma off Nikhil Chaudhary.
Next in, Akshath Reddy (47 off 27b; 2x4, 4x6) gave Hyderabad's innings a push. He put on 39 runs for the second wicket with Tanmay and then a valuable 43-run stand for the fourth wicket with B Sandeep (18 off 15b; 1x4, 1x6). Punjab's fielding had also let their team down as they dropped five catches.
For Punjab, Sandeep Sharma (3/11) and Siddharth Kaul (3/44) were the pick of the bowlers.
Brief Scores
Hyderabad: 149 for 7 in 20 overs (Akshath Reddy 47, Tanmay Aggarwal 42, Ambati Rayudu 34; Sandeep Sharma 3/11, Siddharth Kaul 3/44)
Punjab: 97 for 4 in 14 overs (Shubman Gill 48, Amndeep Singh 16; Hassan 1/11, Milind 1/13)