Sarfaraz's blazing 73 helps Mumbai chase 217; all-round Punjab edge MP

Sarfaraz Khan hit 73 off just 22 balls as Mumbai mowed down a 200-plus total in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the second game in a row. Rajasthan posted 216, but Mumbai hunted it down with three wickets and 11 balls left. Ajinkya Rahane, who added 111 off just 38 balls with Sarfaraz for the second wicket, finished unbeaten on 72 from 41 deliveries.

Sarfaraz's 64 off 25 balls had helped Mumbai chase 235 against Hyderabad in the previous game, and he followed it up with another aggressive, boundary-laden display. Against Rajasthan, Sarfaraz smacked six fours and seven sixes to lay the foundation of the chase. Atharva Ankolekar, at No. 8, thumped 26 off just nine balls to provide the finishing kick, even as Manav Suthar finished with 3 for 23 for Rajasthan.

But the fact that Mumbai had a huge total to chase was down to half-centuries from Mukul Choudhary (54*) and Deepak Hooda (51). Hooda had a 103-run stand with Ramnivas Golada, who smashed 48 off 29 balls, with three fours and sixes each. While both batters fell in succession, Choudhary and Mahipal Lomror then added 89 in 44 deliveries for the fourth wicket.

Lomror's 39 featured four sixes, and Choudhary ensured Rajasthan ended with a huge score. Tushar Deshpande leaked 54 runs in four overs. But Rajasthan's total of 216 didn't prove to be enough.

Punjab ended a two-match losing streak with a two-wicket win over Madhya Pradesh in the Super League of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the DY Patil Academy ground in Pune. Half-centuries from Harnoor Singh and Salil Arora, followed by a late assault from Ramandeep Singh, who remained unbeaten on 35 from 21 balls, powered Punjab to a successful chase of 226 with five balls to spare.

They were jolted early by the loss of captain Prabhsimran Singh in the second over, but Anmolpreet Singh and Harnoor counter-attacked to set the tone. The pair raced to 50 in just 18 balls before Anmolpreet was dismissed by Mangesh Yadav for a 14-ball 38. Harnoor continued the onslaught, striking 64 off 36 balls with five fours and three sixes, and added 73 for the fourth wicket with Arora.

Punjab required 45 from the final five overs when Arora, who scored a fifty off 29 balls, fell in the 16th over. A mini-collapse followed as four wickets fell for 20 runs, but Ramandeep held his nerve to see Punjab home.

The chase marked the seventh instance of Punjab crossing the 200-run mark in the tournament this season - the most by any side. No other team has managed more than four 200-plus totals in a single edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with Jharkhand also on four in 2025-26.

Earlier, Venkatesh Iyer top-scored for Madhya Pradesh with 70 off 43 balls. Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Aniket Verma and Mangesh chipped in with handy cameos to lift Madhya Pradesh to 225 for 8, but it ultimately proved insufficient. Fast bowler Gurnoor Brar was the standout bowler for Punjab, finishing with figures of 3 for 45.

An all-round performance from Nitish Kumar Reddy helped Andhra snap Jharkhand's nine-game winning streak in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Reddy's brisk 22-ball 45 in Ambi lifted Andhra to 203 for 7, before his 2 for 32 with the ball slowed Jharkhand's chase enough to secure a nine-run victory.

Jharkhand appeared well placed early, racing to an 88-run opening stand in just 6.5 overs through Ishan Kishan (35) and Virat Singh (77). The breakthrough came when Satyanarayana Raju removed Kishan.

Virat continued to find the boundary as No. 3 Kumar Kushagra (17) and No. 4 Robin Minz (25) started positively. Reddy's second spell, however, proved decisive in halting the momentum. Kushagra returned a catch to Reddy in the tenth over, Tripurana Vijay then dismissed Virat in the 13th, and Reddy struck again in the 15th to remove Minz.

Despite those blows, Jharkhand still needed only 40 runs from the final five overs, but Saurabh Kumar then turned the game. He conceded just three runs and dismissed Anukul Roy in the 16th, followed by another tight over in the 18th that cost five runs and saw him rattle Saurabh Kumar's stumps. With 18 to defend in the final over, Reddy allowed only three runs from the first half of the over, and Bal Krishna's last-ball six proved inconsequential.

Earlier, in the first innings, Reddy's 45 was part of a collective effort that carried Andhra past the 200-run mark. Openers Srikar Bharat (35) and Ashwin Hebbar (30) provided early impetus with a 61-run stand in 5.1 overs, but Anukul Roy's middle-overs strikes, removing Reddy and a struggling Ricky Bhui (15), briefly stalled the innings. Late contributions from Pyla Avinash, who struck 20 off 12 balls, and Saurabh Kumar's unbeaten 16 off 12 ensured Andhra finished with a winning total.