Punjab Crush MP by 183 Runs, Storm into Vijay Hazare Trophy Semi-Final

Chasing a massive target of 347 in their allotted 50 overs, Madhya Pradesh were bundled out for 162 in 31.2 overs, never really finding momentum in their innings. Sanvir Singh was the standout performer with the ball for Punjab, returning impressive figures of 3/31 from his six overs.

Madhya Pradesh's chase got off to a poor start as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Opener Yash Dubey was the first to depart, dismissed for 3 by Gurnoor Brar.

Brar struck again soon after, removing Dubey's opening partner Himanshu Mantri for 18.

Shubham Sharma showed some resistance with a knock of 24 but was dismissed by Sanvir Singh, who then produced another crucial breakthrough by removing Madhya Pradesh captain Venkatesh Iyer for a duck.

The pressure continued to mount as Akshat Raghuwanshi fell for 4, dismissed by Krish Bhagat, leaving Madhya Pradesh struggling at 66/5 in 16.4 overs.

Saransh Jain was the next to go, scoring 6 before becoming Sanvir Singh's third victim of the match. Rajat Patidar attempted to steady the innings from one end, but his effort ended when he was dismissed for 38 off 40 balls.

The lower order offered little resistance, with Aryan Pandey scoring 13, Tripuresh Singh contributing 31, and Kumar Kartikeya dismissed for a duck, as Madhya Pradesh collapsed to 162 all out.

Apart from Sanvir Singh's excellent spell, Gurnoor Brar finished with figures of 2/27, Ramandeep Singh picked up 2/23, while Mayank Markande chipped in with 1/26, sealing a comprehensive win for Punjab and booking their place in the semi-finals.

Earlier, after being put in to bat first by Madhya Pradesh at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru, Punjab put a total of 345/6 on the board in their 50 overs.

The opening pair of Harnoor Singh (51 runs off 71 balls) and skipper Prabhsimran Singh (88 runs off 86 balls) provided a clinical start, frustrating the Madhya Pradesh bowlers with a century stand. Together, the opening pair added 116 runs.

Harnoor fell to Madhya Pradesh's Aryan Pandey (1/39 in 10 overs), but his dismissal only brought more aggression to the crease as coming in at number three, Anmolpreet Singh scored a 62-ball 70 runs.

While Prabhsimran Singh anchored the top order and appeared set for a century, he fell agonisingly short on 88, dismissed by Kuldeep Sen (1/56 in 6 overs).

Despite the loss of the openers, Punjab maintained their momentum through the middle overs. Along with Anmolpreet Singh, Naman Dhir also provided a quick-fire cameo of 23 to keep the scoreboard ticking at a healthy rate of over six runs per over.

The back end of the innings was highlighted by a blistering performance from Nehal Wadhera. Wadhera took the attack to the Madhya Pradesh bowlers, smashing a rapid 56 off just 38 balls. With Anmolpreet, Wadhera added 76 runs off just 50 balls for the fourth wicket.

His aggressive knock ensured that Punjab capitalised on the platform set by the openers, pushing the total past the 250-mark by the 41st over.

As the innings approached its conclusion, Madhya Pradesh managed a few breakthroughs to stem the flow of runs.

However, Punjab's disciplined batting display put them in a commanding position. Moving towards the 300-run mark, Punjab's middle and lower order ensured they posted a target that would require a mammoth chase from Madhya Pradesh to secure a spot in the semi-finals as Ramandeep Singh (24) and Sanvir Singh (13) helped the team reach 345/6 in 50 overs.

Madhya Pradesh captain Venkatesh Iyer claimed bowling figures of 2-60 in 7 overs, while Tripuresh Singh registered 2/61 in 10 overs.

- ANI