Lucknow, Aug 22 (IANS) Pacer Vasu Vats and spinner Vishal Nishad took clinical four-wicket hauls each as Gaur Gorakhpur Lions secured an eight-wicket victory over defending champions Kashi Rudras in the UP T20 League here on Saturday.
Chasing a modest target of 139, the Gorakhpur Lions made short work of the pursuit by cruising home in just 14.4 overs at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Opting to bat first, the Rudras were put under early pressure by Vats, who removed opener Abhishek Goswami.
“Although Karan Sharma and Sahab Yuvraj Singh (43) briefly stabilized the innings with a 43-run second-wicket stand, the introduction of Nishad completely turned the contest in Gorakhpur’s favour. Nishad tore through the middle order, taking four vital wickets, including the well-set Yuvraj Singh, to reduce the Rudras to 90/5.
Upendra Yadav and Arnav Baliyan offered late resistance with a 30-run partnership, but Vats returned in the penultimate over to grab three quick wickets and stop any hopes of a late flourish. Baliyan hit an unbeaten 16-ball 27 as Kashi were bowled out for 138.
Nishad was later named Player of the Match for his game-defining spell of 4-19. The run chase for Lions was a dominant display from the start. Opener Abhay Pratap Singh set the early tempo with a quickfire 24 off 11 balls, before Aryan Chaudhary and skipper Aryan Juyal took total command.
Chaudhary remained unbeaten on a stylish 68 off 44 balls, while Juyal contributed a steady 43 off 32 deliveries. The duo put on a match-winning partnership to seal the win, with Chaudhary hitting the winning runs to take Lions home with more than five overs to spare.
Earlier, the match was officially inaugurated by UP Minister for Minority Welfare and Panchayati Raj OP Rajbhar, alongside UP T20 League Governing Council Chairman Dr Sanjay Kapoor and former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.
–IANS
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