Kanpur (ANI): Kashi Rudraaz will face Meerut Mavericks in the final of the UPT20, the inaugural tournament featuring six teams, which will conclude on Saturday evening at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. In the semi-finals on Friday evening, Kashi Rudras prepared for the title match by defeating Noida Super Kings by 26 runs. Captain Karan Sharma (105) led Kashi’s efforts with a precisely scored century. They were helped by a crucial half-century from Shivam Bansal (56) and consecutive successes with the ball from M.Sharim (4/27). Almas Shaukat (58), Nitish Rana (42) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/25) fought bravely for Noida Super Kings, but their efforts went in vain. The result ensures that Kasi Rudra will become the first finalist of the UPT20, despite being the last team to qualify for the semi-finals. Invited to bat first, Kashi Rudras faced a challenging powerplay losing Priyanshu Pandey during another brilliant spell from Noida’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar. While Karan Sharma (105) and Shivam Bansal (56) were alert, Naman Tiwary’s 15-run over helped Kashi end the powerplay at 36/1. Both the batsmen worked hard in the middle in the absence of continuous boundaries and completed a partnership of 50 runs in 11.1 overs. Karan Sharma recorded his fifth half-century in the competition, off 46 balls which included four fours and two sixes. At the end of 14 overs, Kashi Rudra’s score was 90/1. The next over was a sign of a change in momentum, with Kasi Rudra scoring 17 runs. While the runs continued to flow, Shivam Bansal (56) was the next to complete his half-century in 39 balls, falling to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 17th over with the score at 132/2. In one of the finest innings of the tournament, Karan Sharma continued his relentless attack and along with Prince Yadav (17) brought up his century in 62 balls. His unbeaten innings included a total of eight fours and seven sixes as Kasi Rudra scored 99 runs in the last six overs and finished with a strong score of 189/2, a UPT20 release said. In reply, Noida Super Kings also lost the initial wicket and lost Samarth Singh (3) to M.Sharim. While Almas Shaukat (58) scored 34 runs in the powerplay, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (6), promoted to number three, failed to make the desired impact and was dismissed by M.Sharim. Captain Nitish Rana (32) was out with the score at 45/2 in six overs. Almas Shaukat completed his half-century in 32 balls with the help of seven fours and one six, but Prince Yadav dismissed him in the 14th over, ending the 64-run partnership with Rana. Prashant Veer (13) along with Nitish Rana left Noida Super Kings needing 81 runs from 41 balls. Nitish Rana became M.Sharim’s third wicket of the night in an attempt to counter the ever-increasing run-rate, reducing Noida’s chances to 123/4 in 15 overs. Subsequently, Atal Bihari Rai came back into the attack to dismiss Prashant Veer while running out Aditya Sharma (4) to put Noida Super Kings ahead of the target. After contributions from Saurabh Kumar (21), Noida finished at 163/9 and lost the match by 26 runs. The semi-final and final matches will be live streamed on Jio Cinema and free-to-air channel (FTA) Sports 18 Khel. Brief Scores: Kashi Rudra: 189/2 in 20 overs (Karan Sharma 105*, Shivam Bansal 56, Prince Yadav 17, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/25) vs Noida Super Kings: 163/9 in 20 overs (Almas Shaukat 58, Nitish Rana ) 42, Mohammad Sharim 4/27, Prince Yadav 1/25, Atal Bihari Rai 1/34).(ANI)
