Ajinkya Rahane continued his T20 re-invention with a brutal 98 that carried Mumbai to a six-wicket victory over Baroda and into the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Friday.
Mumbai bowlers chipped away at regular intervals as Baroda were restricted to 158-7, and Rahane’s blistering knock off 56 balls (11×4, 5×6) took his team to 164-4 in 17.2 overs in the first semi-final.
Mumbai will face the winner of the second semi-final between Delhi and Madhya Pradesh in the final on Sunday.
It was quite remarkable to see Rahane, a batsman of classic mould, playing like a T20 thoroughbred and the right-hander brought up his fifty in 29 balls with a massive six over mid-wicket off pacer Hardik Pandya.
After the early departure of Prithvi Shaw (8), who scooped Hardik to Atit Sheth in the circle, Rahane and skipper Shreyas Iyer (46, 30b, 4×4, 3×6) added 78 runs for the second wicket in just nine overs.
Earlier, Mumbai bowlers were on the money right through the innings while exploiting some early movement on a damp day.
Later in the day, Skipper Rajat Patidar led from the front with a scintillating unbeaten fifty as Madhya Pradesh trashed former champions Delhi by seven wickets to storm into their first final in 13 years.
Opting to field, Madhya Pradesh’s bowlers put up a clinical performance, with all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer (2-12) leading the charge by taking two wickets to restrict Delhi, the 2018 winners, to a modest 146-5.
In reply, MP overhauled the target in 15.4 overs with Patidar top-scoring with a 29-ball 66 not out, which included four fours and six sixes.
Brief scores
Baroda 158-7 in 20 overs (S Sharma 36*, S Rawat 33, K Pandya 30; S Shedge 2-11) lost to Mumbai 164-4 in 17.2 overs (A Rahane 98, S Iyer 46) by six wickets
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