Kashi Rudras secures the last position in UPT20 2023 with a decisive victory over Noida Super Kings.

On September 15, 2023, Kashi Rudras defeated Noida Super Kings by a score of 26 runs to win the UPT20 semifinal match in Kanpur. Captain Karan Sharma (105*) led Kashi’s attempts with a carefully crafted century at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

Shivam Bansal’s (56) crucial half-century and M. Sharim’s (4/27) regular ball breakthroughs were helpful to him. For Noida Super Kings, Almas Shaukat (58), Nitish Rana (42), and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/25) gave it their all, but in vain. Despite being the last team to get to the semifinals, the outcome guarantees that Kashi Rudras will be the inaugural Jio UPT20 finalist.

Kashi Rudras, who were given the opportunity to bat first, had a difficult powerplay after losing Priyanshu Pandey after yet another outstanding session from Noida’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar. While Shivam Bansal (56) and Karan Sharma (105*) were cautious, Kashi finished the powerplay at 36/1 thanks to a 15-run over off Naman Tiwari. With few boundaries, both batsmen struggled in the middle to add 50 runs to their partnership in 11.1 overs.

In the tournament, Karan Sharma scored his fifth half-century, a 46-ball total that included four fours and two sixes. The Kashi Rudras were positioned at 90/1 after 14 overs.  As the runs kept coming in, Shivam Bansal (56), who reached his half-century in 39 balls, became the next man out, falling to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 17th over with the score at 132/2.

With 17 runs smashed off the very next over, Kashi Rudras, the momentum changed immediately.

As Prince Yadav (17) joined him, Karan Sharma resumed his unrelenting onslaught and scored his century in 62 deliveries, one of the best performances of the competition. His undefeated innings included eight total fours and seven total sixes, enabling the Kashi Rudras to hit 99 runs in the final six overs to reach the impressive total of 189/2.

The Noida Super Kings responded by losing Samarth Singh (3) to M.Sharim, who also took an early wicket for them. Almas Shaukat (58) scored 34 runs in the powerplay while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (6) was dropped to number three and failed to make an impression, dying at the hands of M. Sharim. When the captain Nitish Rana (32) left, the score was 45/2 after six overs. The 64-run partnership between Rana and Almas Shaukat came to an end when Prince Yadav dismissed Almas Shaukat in the 14th over after he had reached his half-century in 32 deliveries and had smashed seven fours and a six.

With the Noida Super Kings needing 81 runs in 41 balls, Prashant Veer (13), joined Nitish Rana in the middle. Nitish Rana, who was trying to slow the rising run rate, became M. Sharim’s third victim of the evening. This significantly diminished Noida’s chances at 123/4 in 15 overs. As Aditya Sharma (4) was run out to put the target beyond the Noida Super Kings, Atal Bihari Rai returned to the attack to dismiss Prashant Veer. Saurabh Kumar’s (21) insignificant contribution allowed Noida to finish the game at 163/9 and lose by 26 runs.

Short Scores

By 26 runs, Kashi Rudras prevail.

Kashi Rudras: 189/2 in 20 overs (Karan Sharma: 105* in 63 balls; Shivam Bansal: 56 in 41 balls; Prince Yadav: 17 in 10 balls; Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 2/25).

Noida Super Kings scored 163/9 in 20 overs (Almas Shaukat scored 58 runs in 37 balls, Nitish Rana scored 42 runs in 32 balls, Mohd Sharim took four wickets, Prince Yadav scored 25 runs, and Atal Bihari Rai scored 34 runs).