NEW DELHI: Punjab booked a place in the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a 183-run win over Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinal in Bengaluru on Tuesday.Batting first, Punjab posted 345 for six in 50 overs. Captain Prabhsimran Singh led the scoring with 88 off 86 balls. He was supported by Anmolpreet Singh, who scored 70 from 62 balls, Nehal Wadhera with 56 off 38 deliveries, and opener Harnoor Singh, who made 51 off 71 balls. Ramandeep Singh added 24 off 15 balls at the end to push the total close to 350.
Punjab got off to a strong start as Prabhsimran and Harnoor put on 116 runs for the opening wicket in a little over 21 overs. Madhya Pradesh got their first breakthrough in the 22nd over when Aryan Pandey dismissed Harnoor. Anmolpreet then joined Prabhsimran and kept the scoring rate steady.Prabhsimran was dismissed in the 30th over after being caught off Kuldeep Sen’s bowling. Naman Dhir made 23 off 20 balls before Punjab reached 199 for three in the 36th over. Nehal Wadhera then accelerated the innings, adding 76 runs for the fourth wicket with Anmolpreet. Punjab maintained momentum through quick running and boundaries in the final overs.For Madhya Pradesh, Tripuresh Singh returned figures of 2 for 61 from 10 overs, while captain Venkatesh Iyer took two wickets for 60 runs in seven overs.In reply, Madhya Pradesh were bowled out for 162 in 31.2 overs. They lost wickets early and were 66 for five in the 17th over. Rajat Patidar top-scored with 38 off 40 balls, but his dismissal in the 27th over left MP at 132 for seven. Tripuresh Singh was the only other batter to cross 30, scoring 31.Punjab’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Sanvir Singh leading the attack with figures of 3 for 31 in six overs. Gurnoor Brar, Krish Bhagat and Ramandeep Singh picked up two wickets each.Brief scores:Punjab 345/6 in 50 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 88, Anmolpreet Singh 70, Nehal Wadhera 56, Harnoor Singh 51)Madhya Pradesh 162 all out in 31.2 overs (Rajat Patidar 38; Sanvir Singh 3/31)
