Sher-E-Punjab T20 League: Mohali Kings defeat Bathinda Royals by five wickets, seal semi-final berth

Mohali: Mohali Kings produced a strong performance to register a five-wicket win over Bathinda Royals and book their place in the semi-finals of the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League at the I.S. Bindra Stadium, Mohali.

Batting first, Bathinda Royals recovered well from an early collapse to post a competitive 184/6 in 20 overs. The Royals were in trouble early in their innings after slipping to 17/2, with opener Uday Saharan among the wickets to fall.

With Mohali Kings keeping the pressure on, Bathinda needed a partnership to rebuild their innings. Harnoor Singh and Gourav Choudhary stepped up at the right time, putting together a crucial 74-run partnership for the third wicket. The duo played with patience and kept the scoreboard moving before bringing Bathinda back into the game.

Mohali, however, managed to break the partnership and put Bathinda under pressure once again. Harnoor was dismissed for a well-made 43 off 36 balls, while Gourav followed soon after for 35 off 22 deliveries. Their wickets left Bathinda at 93/4 and in need of a strong finish.

Ridham Satyawan then played an important cameo, scoring 31 off 19 balls, before Shahbaz Sandhu provided the late fireworks. Sandhu attacked the bowlers in the final overs and remained unbeaten on 38 off 23 balls, helping Bathinda finish on 184/6.

For Mohali Kings, Ayush Goyal was the most successful bowler, returning figures of 2/27 in four overs.

The target of 185, however, was not enough to stop Mohali Kings, who began their chase on the back foot after being reduced to 4/2.

Anmolpreet Singh and Ramandeep Singh then took charge and steadied the innings with a valuable 52-run partnership for the third wicket. Anmolpreet played an aggressive knock of 49 off 28 balls, but fell just short of his half-century.

Mohali lost a few more wickets at regular intervals, giving Bathinda hope of making a comeback. However, Ramandeep Singh held his nerves and continued to score freely at the other end at the I.S. Bindra Stadium that has hosted international matches in the past.

Ramandeep produced the match-winning innings, remaining unbeaten on a superb 71 off 36 balls. He found an able partner in Sohraab Dhaliwal, who played an important finishing role with an unbeaten 40 off 20 balls.

The duo ensured there were no further setbacks for Mohali Kings as they completed the chase.

IANS