All-round Mumbai go past MP by 5 wickets to clinch Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
Bengaluru, Dec 15: Mumbai leaned on their collective batting strength to subdue a spirited Madhya Pradesh by five wickets to clinch the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Sunday.
Mumbai were stretched on more than one occasion during the chase of 175, a target MP built around skipper Rajat Patidar's fluent unbeaten 81, on a slightly tacky pitch, but eventually they reached 180 for five in 17.5 overs.
This was Mumbai's second SMAT title after winning it for the first time in 2022, while MP's wait for a maiden trophy prolonged to another season.
After a brief period of lull, Suryakumar Yadav (48, 35b, 4x4, 3x6) reactivated his run-making ways and added 52 runs for the third wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (37, 30b, 4x4).
It helped Mumbai to recover from the early dismissals of Prithvi Shaw and skipper Shreyas Iyer, both of them falling to rather causal shots.
Just when it seemed that the two veteran batters would carry Mumbai home, Rahane slashed Venkatesh Iyer straight into the hands of Rahul Batham at deep.
Suryakumar followed soon, top-edging off-spinner Shivam Shukla to Avesh Khan at short fine leg.
At 129 for five in 14.4 overs, Mumbai needed 46 runs but any worries were soon eased by the big-hitting Suryansh Shedge (36 not out, 15b, 3x4, 3x6) and Atharva Ankolekar (16 not out, 6b, 2x6) who knocked off the remaining runs without much fuss in a little over three overs.
Earlier, Patidar shone brightly while hammering his fifth fifty of this tournament.
The right-hander, who was retained by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, entertained an over 15,000-crowd, who backed him and MP to the hilt, with twinkling shot-making.
In fact, Patidar singlehandedly held the MP innings together as the next highest was a 23 by Shubhranshu Senapati.
Madhya Pradesh had made a rather sedate beginning to their innings after losing openers Arpit Gaud (3) and Harsh Gawli (2).
They reached 38 for two in the Power Play, which later transpired to 114 for five in 15 overs.
However, Patidar found an able ally in Batham (19, 14b) as they added 56 runs for the sixth wicket as MP added 60 runs in the last five overs.
Patidar, a clean-striker of the balls, too upped the level of his play, as indicated by a stunning walk-across-the-line six off pacer Shardul Thakur.
But individual brilliance was not enough to stop the Mumbai juggernaut on the night.
Brief scores:
Madhya Pradesh: 174/8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 81 not out, Subhranshu Senapati 23; Shardul Thakur 2/41, Royston Dias 2/32) lost to
Mumbai: 180/5 in 17.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 48, Ajinkya Rahane 37, Suryansh Shedge 36 not out; Tripuresh Singh 2/34) by 5 wickets.
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Punjab Police security cover of MP Harbhajan Singh withdrawn
Chandigarh (PTI): The Punjab Police is learnt to have withdrawn the security cover of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh, one of the seven lawmakers who switched to the BJP from AAP alongside Raghav Chadha, sources said.
The police security cover comprising 9-10 policemen was withdrawn on Saturday, they said.
The Punjab Police security was deployed at the former cricketer's residence at the Chhotti Baradari locality in Jalandhar.
Meanwhile, security personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force could be seen deployed outside the residence of the former cricketer on Sunday.
AAP workers on Saturday held protests outside the residences of Singh, Ashok Mittal and Rajinder Gupta, who have joined BJP, and wrote 'Gaddar' (traitor) on the boundary walls of their residences with spray paint in Ludhiana and Jalandhar.
On Friday, AAP Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak had announced their exit from the party as they joined the BJP along with five other MPs -- Mittal, Singh, Gupta, Swati Maliwal and Vikramjit Sahney.
Chadha alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals, which is why he was joining the BJP. He said the seven had merged with the BJP as a faction.
In the immediate wake of the exodus, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann dubbed the seven leaders "gaddars".
Mann alleged that the BJP was trying to break the AAP and had "betrayed the people of Punjab".
