Uttarakhand Premier League 2024, Final Review: USN Indians awarded inaugural champions

Dehradun, September 22, 2024: On Sunday, September 22, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, the USN Indians defeated the Nainital SG Pipers by a strong margin of 40 runs. Centurion Yuvraj Chaudhary and Akhil Rawat stole the show with their exceptional batting performances.

Yuvraj Chaudhary’s incredible 103 runs and two wickets with the ball earned him the title of Player of the Final.

In two days, the Nainital SG Pipers suffered twice as much. The men’s team failed to win the prized trophy tonight, following their women’s team’s Saturday second-place finish.

Using the Powerplay overs, the openers for the Nainital SG Pipers started their innings with incredible ferocity as they chased a daunting 204 to win the championship. Avneesh Sudha and Priyanshu Khanduri, the star openers, quickly established a rapport and by the conclusion of the fourth over, they were up 51 runs.

But their valuable partnership was shattered when Priyanshu Khanduri, who finished with a blistering 26 runs from just 12 balls, was removed by Agrim Tiwari. Not too long after, Avneesh Sudha was stumped in the seventh over, having scored 33 runs off 22 balls.

The Nainital SG Pipers needed their middle order to step up and handle the pressure to bring consistency to the innings after both set batters returned to the dugout. Nevertheless, they found it difficult to maintain that consistency as wickets kept falling in the middle overs.

USN Indians defeated the Nainital SG Pipers by a strong margin of 40 runs

The Nainital SG Pipers continued to pursue their target despite losing wickets on a regular basis. But they were losing wickets at a rate that was upsetting their scoring pattern. Despite Harsh Rana’s valiant effort of scoring 35 runs off of 16 balls, their innings was quickly dismissed for 163 in 17.1 overs.

Among the bowlers for the USN Indians, centurion Yuvraj Chaudhary and Agrim Tiwari each contributed two wickets, while Prashant Chauhan shone out with a 3/35.

The strong USN Indians, who had won four straight games and were undefeated going into the final, were asked to bat first by the Nainital SG Pipers, but they struggled early on. In the grand final, they lost their opener, Aarav Mahajan, for a duck on the third ball. As soon as USN Indians captain Kunal Chandela was out for just five runs in the next over, Nainital seized the initiative.

Yuvraj Chaudhary, the outstanding opener for the USN Indians, changed tactics and made the most of the Powerplay overs following some early disappointments. He showed off his explosive hitting by smashing two fours and two sixes in one over off Mayank Mishra, among other power-packed boundaries.

While wickets fell at one end, Yuvraj remained steady and kept looking for a reliable partner. Shashank Pant, who had trouble scoring at first but quickly picked up speed with a couple boundaries, provided him with some short-lived assistance. But Pant, who had made 20 off 22 balls and contributed to a 31-run stand, was removed in the 13th over.

When Akhil Rawat joined the steady Yuvraj Chaudhary at the crease, the game took an exciting turn. Akhil matched his partner’s aggressive style, putting on a show-stopping power-hitting performance and effortlessly becoming involved in the thrilling action.

In the final five overs, the pair went absolutely bonkers, hitting enormous sixes with carefree joy. In the penultimate over, Yuvraj Chaudhary wowed the spectators by smashing three sixes in four deliveries and reaching his century in an incredible 47 balls.

Despite early difficulties, he was instrumental in leading his team to an impressive score, even though he was removed a ball after scoring 103 runs off 49 balls.

On the other hand, the centurion served as an inspiration to Akhil Rawat. He was still hitting boundaries at a remarkable rate; in the last over, he blasted four consecutive sixes to lead his team to an enormous total.

While Akhil Rawat dazzled with a quick 61 off just 25 balls, including two fours and seven sixes, Yuvraj Chaudhary struck a magnificent century with five fours and eleven sixes.

The pair struck an amazing partnership, hitting 91 runs in only 40 balls and helping to finish at 203/7 by the end of the 20th over, after finding themselves in a precarious position at 101/5 in the 15th over.

Awards for the Tournament: Honouring the Stars

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, warmly handed the USN Indians the beautiful UPL trophy and a winning cash for INR 25 lakhs.

The players for the USN Indians won every season award. Yuvraj Chaudhary was awarded Player of the Final, along with two other honours. After amassing 322 runs in five games, he was named the league’s best batsman and received an Orange Cap and INR 20,000 in rewards. He also received INR 1,000,000 as the prestigious Jai Hind Auto Tech Industries Player of the Tournament winner.

Also Read: Uttarakhand Premier League 2024, Match 7 Review: USN Indians clinch two in two after defeating Haridwar Spring Elmas in last-ball thriller

By topping the wicket-takers tally, Prashant Chauhan won the Bowler of the League title. He also received the Purple Cap and a monetary award of INR 20,000. Aarav Mahajan, a youthful opener, was recognised with the Emerging Player of the League title and given an additional INR 20,000.