Syed Mushtaq Ali: Devdutt Padikkal slams unbeaten 99 against Tripura, Abhishek Sharma’s ton helps Punjab secure big win

In another run-fest on Thursday, Punjab batsman Abhishek Sharma slammed a ton, while Royal Challengers Bangalore star opener Devdutt Padikkal scored an unbeaten 99 in their respective matches at the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. 

Abhishek scored 107 from 62 balls, helping his side post a gigantic 200/4 in 20 overs in their clash against Railways. Batting at a strike-rate of 172.58, the left-handed batsman smashed five boundaries and nine maximums during the course of his innings.  

Good to see other young players doing well too in the #SyedMushtaqAliTrophy2021. Devdutt Padikkal got 99* and Abhishek Sharma, another player with something about him, gets a century as opener.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 14, 2021

In response to Punjab’s 200, Dinesh Mor-led Railways could only manage 83 and lost the match by 117 runs. Among the Punjab bowlers, it was Harpreet Brar and young Arshdeep Singh who closed the contest with clinical figures. Harpreet scalped four wickets in his four-over quota and conceded 22 runs, while Arshdeep picked three wickets and gave 16 runs from his four overs.  

In an enthralling contest between Karnataka and Tripura, Padikkal played an unbeaten knock of 99 and helped his side post a challenging 167/5 on the board. His innings included nine boundaries and four sixes. 

A stunning innings studded with 9⃣ fours and 4⃣ maximums!@devdpd07 coming to the party yet again in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy!#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/09JWLCPIfy

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) January 14, 2021

Chasing 167, Tripura put up a valiant fight but fell short by 10 runs in the end. Tripura skipper Manisankar Murasingh along with Rajat Dey added 89 runs for the fifth wicket. Both the batsman finished unbeaten, which included a late blitz from Manisankar, who scored 61 from 33 deliveries.