Lucknow, Aug 26 (IANS) Gaur Gorakhpur Lions held their nerve in a final-over thriller to pull off a dramatic three-wicket victory over Kanpur Superstars via the DLS Method in a rain-curtailed UP T20 League encounter in Lucknow on Wednesday.
The result also meant opener Adarsh Singh’s historic century was in vain at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana International Cricket Stadium.
Opting to field after winning the toss, Gorakhpur skipper Aryan Juyal found his bowlers under immediate pressure as Adarsh, who played for India in the 2024 U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, dominated from the outset.
Displaying exceptional power-hitting, Adarsh struck an unbeaten 101 off 54 balls, laced with three boundaries and nine sixes. His knock marked the first century of UP T20 League season four and the third overall in the tournament’s history. Adarsh’s blitz propelled Kanpur Superstars to a commanding 150/2 in 15.4 overs before heavy rain forced a lengthy stoppage.
When play eventually resumed, match officials revised the target to a steep 121 runs from 10 overs. The Lions launched an aggressive pursuit, racing to 73/4 in five overs thanks to a quickfire start from opener Abhay Pratap Singh, who smashed 33 off 17 deliveries.
Dot balls soon slowed the momentum, leaving Gorakhpur with the equation of needing 23 runs from the final 12 balls. Nishant Kushwah then turned the match on its head by aggressively targeting pacer Vineet Panwar to extract 17 runs from the penultimate over.
Needing six runs off the final over bowled by Ajay Kumar, the drama intensified. Ajay conceded two singles before dismissing Shivam Sharma, leaving Gorakhpur requiring four off three balls. However, the bowler faltered under pressure by delivering consecutive wides that brought the scores level.
Kushwah completed the chase in style by striking a boundary to seal a sensational win with two balls to spare. While Kanpur suffered their sixth loss in seven matches, Gorakhpur registered their third victory. Adarsh was named Player of the Match despite ending on the losing side.
--IANS
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