Mohammed Shami’s four-wicket burst and a flurry of outstanding knocks made the last day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy league stage lively and full of action.
Shami kept his fine run going with 4 for 30 for Bengal against Haryana. He now has 11 wickets in his last three games. Bengal still slipped to a 24-run loss and went out of the tournament, but Shami’s form keeps him in the India comeback conversation.
Haryana made 191 for 9 thanks to steady scoring from Ankit Kumar, Nishant Sindhu and Yashvardhan Dalal. Their win pushed them safely into the next round.
Sai Sudharsan was the star in Tamil Nadu’s chase against Saurashtra. He made an unbeaten 102 off 55 balls after TN fell to 29 for 3 early. His knock carried them to a three-wicket win and up to fourth place even though both sides were already out.
Ajinkya Rahane returned to top gear for Mumbai. He hit 95 not out off 56 balls while chasing 168 against Odisha. He also became Mumbai’s highest T20 run scorer with 1727 runs. His calm finish helped Mumbai top Group A.
Punjab confirmed their Super League spot with a strong all-round show. Naman Dhir smashed 61 off 36 balls and Harpreet Brar added a late burst as Punjab reached 188 for 8. They then bowled out Gujarat to win by 75 runs.
The day also saw a special debut. Amit Passi struck 114 not out off 55 balls for Baroda against Services. He equalled the world record for the highest score on T20 debut and set a new Indian record. His knock lifted Baroda to 220 for 5 and set up a 13-run win.
The teams moving ahead are Mumbai and Andhra from Group A, Hyderabad and Madhya Pradesh from Group B, Punjab and Haryana from Group C, and Rajasthan and Jharkhand from Group D. The final will be played on December 18 in Pune.