Mohali: Mandeep, Abhishek take Agri King’s Knights into semis of Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup

Riding on experience, Mandeep Singh (90 off 49) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 21), Agri King’s Knights recorded a fine 55-run win over Intersoft Titans in a match played during the ongoing second “Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup” being organised by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Monday.

Batting first, Agri King’s Knights posted 202/9 in 20 overs. Opener Sahaj Dhawan started the proceedings well and hit a smashing 22-ball knock of 41 runs to give a good start to his team. After the other opener, Varinder Lohat got out for naught and Mandeep joined Sahaj. The pair got things going for their team with aggression. Mandeep showed his mettle and hammered the opposition bowlers. After Sahaj perished, captain Abhishek Sharma, who got a maiden India T20 team call-up for the upcoming India tour to Zimbabwe, came to bat and clobbered the bowlers. Mandeep and Abhishek added 74 runs to power their team past the 200-run mark.

While Abhishek got out for 45, Mandeep remained unbeaten on 90. His knock had nine fours and three sixes. Abhishek hit four sixes and two hits to the fence. The Knights lost nine wickets in 20 overs. For Titans, seasoned Siddharth Kaul scalped four wickets, giving away 20 runs.

In reply, the Titans made 147/9 in 20 overs. Pukhraj Mann scored the highest 52 off 31. For the winning team, Abhishek Sharma, Harjot Singh, Sumit Sharma, and Vinay Chaudhary took two wickets each.

My hard work paid off: Abhishek Sharma

Agri King’s Knights captain Abhishek Sharma has been rewarded for his IPL performance as he earns his maiden T20 India team call-up for a series in Zimbabwe. He will be a part of the five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe starting July 6. Talking about this opportunity, Abhishek said, “It feels great to get this opportunity. Finally, my hard work has paid off. I will give my best and perform well for India.” Abhishek recently performed brilliantly in the IPL season while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) secretary Dilsher Khanna congratulated him for this great success. The left-handed batsman and left-arm spinner from Amritsar said, “I saw my name on the big screen during the Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup match. This is a happy moment for me. I am playing cricket to make this dream come true.” Meanwhile, BLV Blasters, Agri King’s Knights, Trident Stallions, and JK Super Strikers have made it to the semi-finals of the tournament.

Trident Stallions top points table with 7th win

Trident Stallions registered their 7th win in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup Season 2 and defeated Royal Phantoms by 3 wickets to top the points table. Trident Stallions finished first on the basis of better net run rate. Along with the final league match, the semi-final lineup of the season 2 has also been decided.

In the first semi-final to be held on June 25, Trident Stallions will face Agri King’s Knights from 3 pm. In the second semi-final, JK Super Kings will face last time champion team BLV Blasters. This match will be played in Mohali from 7.15 pm.

Earlier in the last league match, Royal Phantoms scored 160/7 in 20 overs. All-rounder Sohraab Dhaliwal played an aggressive innings of 79 runs off 40 balls. Gurnoor Brar took 2 wickets for Trident. Gurwinder Singh, Aryaman Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Sameer Khan took 1-1 wickets. In reply, Trident had a great start. Opener Abhay Choudhary scored 40 runs in 21 balls and Prabhsimran Singh contributed 45 runs. Team Trident did lose some wickets, but Stallions achieved the target by losing 7 wickets in 15.3 overs. Anmolpreet Singh took 4 wickets.