Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Punjab, Baroda, Delhi, Assam Enter Semifinals With Comfortable Victories
Reaping dividends for producing a clutch of quality IPL performers, Punjab beat Uttar Pradesh by five wickets despite Rinku Singh's brilliance to enter the semifinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament on Thursday. Batting first, Rinku, the Indian T20 team's future finisher, smashed 77 off just 33 balls with a half a dozen sixes to take Uttar Pradesh to 169 for 3 in 20 overs. He added 116 runs for the fourth wicket in just 8.5 overs with Sameer Rizvi (42 off 29 balls). UP innings didn't get the required momentum due to poor show from skipper Karan Sharma (14 off 24 balls), who wasted a lot of deliveries up-front.