Uttar Pradesh loses the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy despite Rinku Singh’s valiant efforts.

On Thursday, November 2, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh met in the first quarter-final of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Punjab Cricket Association’s IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. In an attempt to advance to the tournament’s semi-finals, both teams faced off against one another.

Uttar Pradesh batted first to start the game, and it seemed like all eyes were focused on star batsman Rinku Singh right away.

Rinku’s efforts in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy have not let us down, following his heroics in the 16th Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

Rinku had already struck a blistering fifty* runs in twenty-four deliveries against Tripura and 58* runs in thirty-four deliveries against Nagaland earlier in the competition before his incredible performance against Punjab.

Rinku Singh performed admirably against Punjab as well, carrying over his strong play from earlier games into the first round. When the top order failed to make a significant impact, Rinku Singh stepped up and amassed 77 runs in just 33 deliveries. Rinku struck six sixes and four fours throughout his incredible performance, keeping his strike rate at 233.33. Both batsmen contributed to UP scoring 169 runs in the opening innings, along with Sameer Rizvi, who scored 42* runs in 29 deliveries.

RINKU SINGH – THE FINISHER…!!!!

He smashed 77*(33) in Quarterfinal in this Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – His consistency is Just remarkable, What a player! pic.twitter.com/JEYnGxuZz4

— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) November 2, 2023

Bowlers are unable to keep up with Punjab’s middle order.

With a goal of chasing down a target of 170 runs, Punjab began the game badly as Abhishek Sharma, Mandeep Singh, and Prabhsimran Singh were sent back to the pavilion after scoring just 12, 0 runs, and 1 run, respectively.

For Punjab, it was the middle order that changed the tide of the match. With scores of 43* from Anmolpreet Singh in 29 deliveries, 52 from Nehal Wadhera in 39 deliveries, and 35* from Sanvir Singh in 13 balls, Punjab was able to chase down the mark and win the match by five wickets, eliminating Uttar Pradesh from the competition.