Ishan Kishan powers Jharkhand to maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title

Ishan Kishan smashed a 49-ball 101 to lead Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title with a 69-run win over Haryana in Pune. Jharkhand posted 262/3 before bowling out Haryana for 193

Pune: Out-of-favour India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan made a strong case for a T20I recall with a belligerent hundred to power Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title, defeating Haryana by 69 runs here on Thursday.

Kishan went on a six-hitting spree, smashing 10 sixes en route to a breathtaking 49-ball 101, as Jharkhand piled up an imposing 262 for three.

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Jharkhand bowlers, led by medium pacer Anukul Roy, then struck twice in his opening over while his team applied the brakes with regular wickets to bowl out Haryana for 193, despite a fighting half-century from wicketkeeper-batter Yashvardhan Dalal (53). Roy also contributed with the bat, scoring a quick 20-ball 40.

Jharkhand thus became the 12th state to win the country’s premier domestic T20 tournament.

Invited to bat first, skipper Kishan stitched a decisive 177-run partnership for the second wicket with Kumar Kushagra, who played the perfect foil with a rapid 81 off 38 deliveries to keep the pressure firmly on the Haryana bowlers.

The century was Kishan’s second of the tournament. The 27-year-old has been in scintillating form throughout the competition and topped the run charts with 517 runs from 10 innings at a strike rate of 197.32.

Kishan treated the Haryana attack with complete disdain, also striking eight fours, and brought up his hundred with a stylish one-handed six over extra cover. He was eventually bowled by Sumit Kumar in the 15th over, with Kushagra departing in the following over.

Late cameos from Anukul and Robin Minz (31 off 14) ensured Jharkhand finished on a high, posting a total well beyond Haryana’s reach.

Haryana’s chase began in disastrous fashion as they lost skipper Ankit Kumar (0) and Ashish Siwach (0) in quick succession to slump to 2/1. Dalal attempted to steady the innings, first adding 34 runs with opener Arsh Ranga (17) and then forging a 67-run stand with Nishant Sindhu (31).

However, Anukul turned the match decisively in Jharkhand’s favour by removing both set batters in the same over, derailing Haryana’s chase.

Brief Scores: Jharkhand 262/3 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 101, Kumar Kushagra 89; Sumit Kumar 1/41) Haryana 193 all out in 18.3 overs (Yashvardhan Dalal 53, Samant Jakhar 38; Sushant Mishra 3/21).