LUCKNOW: In a display of continued dominance, defending champions Meerut Mavericks maintained their winning streak in the UP T-20 League with a commanding performance at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, defeating Noida Kings by 41 runs.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Mavericks’ innings got off to a shaky start as openers Akshay and Swastik were dismissed cheaply. However, Rituraj Sharma steadied the ship with a rapid 34 runs off just 19 balls. After captain Rinku Singh was out for 10, Divyansh Rajput took charge, playing a superb unbeaten knock of 53 runs off just 28 balls, which included 3 fours and 4 sixes. Hritik Vats also contributed a valuable 24 runs, helping the Mavericks post a challenging total of 184 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs.
Noida Super Kings’ Poor Start
In their chase of 185, Noida Super Kings suffered a disastrous start, losing both their openers, Shivam Chaudhary and Priyanshu Pandey, for ducks in the very first over. The team collapsed to 65 for 5. Although Prashant Veer (39) and Karan Sharma (37) showed some fight, they were unable to build a significant partnership.
Meerut’s bowlers were highly effective, led by the impressive spin of Zeeshan Ansari, who broke the back of the Noida batting lineup with a match-winning spell of 4 wickets for just 17 runs in his 4 overs. Vishal Chaudhary and Kartik Tyagi also chipped in with two wickets each, ensuring the victory. The Noida Super Kings’ innings ended at 143 for 9.
