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Captain Rajat Patidar led Madhya Pradesh to the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final with an impressive 29-ball innings of 66 runs while chasing the target set by Delhi, who were defeated by 7 wickets. Madhya Pradesh has reached the SMAT final after 13 years as they will face 2023 champions Mumbai in the 2024 final in the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on 15 December 2024.
Madhya Pradesh Won by 7 Wicket(s) (Qualified) #DELvMP #SMAT #SF2 Scorecard:https://t.co/Fa4GwxKzs6
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 13, 2024
Impressive performance by MP bowlers in the first innings
Following the toss win, MP captain Patidar opted to field in and sent Delhi to bat for the first innings today in Bengaluru. Priyansh Arya and Yash Dhull opened for Delhi and gave the batting side a solid start, as they scored 38 runs in the first 5 overs of powerplay. However, in the 6th over, Yash Dhull got dismissed on 11 off 18 balls; and Priyansh went back to the pavilion in the 9th over with 29 runs by his name off 21 balls.
Four deliveries, two wickets. Only one Venkatesh Iyer ✌pic.twitter.com/t9JbF85Zri
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) December 13, 2024
After the openers departed, Madhya Pradesh bowlers took over the driver's seat and put up a show. All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer stormed in to take two wickets in three balls in the 12th over as he sent Delhi captain Ayush Badoni and Himmat Singh back to the dugout. However, Anuj Rawat's scorching knock of 33 off 24 and Mayank Rawat's 21-ball innings of 24 runs pushed Delhi to a decent score of 146/5 in 20 overs.
Rajat Patidar played a captain's knock
Captain Rajat Patidar's storming innings is the definite highlight of Madhya Pradesh's chase; as he scored 66 runs off just 29 balls, studded with 4 boundaries and 6 over-boundaries.
Madhya Pradesh Captain Rajat Patidar put on a masterclass against spin bowling on his way to a blistering 66*(29) against Delhi in the semifinal 👏👏#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 13, 2024
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/Fa4GwxKzs6 pic.twitter.com/WYEE6YQCJq
However, veteran pacer Ishant Sharma startled MP's innings in the first over as he dismissed opener Arpit Gaud on the very first ball. Ishant sent Subhranshu Senapati back to the pavilion in the third over, leaving a trembling Madhya Pradesh with a scoreline of 22/2 in 3 overs.
Harsh Gawali's decent innings of 30 off 18 balls challenged Delhi bowlers and stabilized MP's innings. Following his departure, Patidar pulled off a stunning 66-run innings of just 29 balls to lead MP to the target in just 15.4 overs. Harpreet Singh Bhatia completed the chase with a six, delivering an impressive knock of 46 off 38 balls to power MP to the coveted win.