Mavericks sink Falcons, to face Rudras in final | Lucknow News
Lucknow: Impact player Divyansh Rajput’s impactful knock followed by a spirited performance by the bowlers helped Meerut Mavericks snatch a victory out of the jaws of defeat to seal the final spot, beating Lucknow Falcons by 19 runs in the 2nd eliminator at the Ekana stadium on Thursday.Meerut Mavericks will now face in-form Kashi Rudras in the final on Saturday. Batting first in the 100th match of the UPT20 League, and without their regular skipper Rinku Singh, the Mavericks put up a modest total of 143 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Divyansh smashed 67 off 45 balls with two boundaries and five mighty sixes. He was well supported by Rinku’s replacement, Prashant Chaudhary, who scored a steady 30 off 34 balls. Meerut have so far faced Lucknow Falcons nine times and won six of those encounters while batting first. However, it was a heartbreaking end for Lucknow as they looked poised to make their maiden entry into the final. Chasing 144, the Falcons’ opening pair, Aaradhya Yadav and Abhay Pratap Singh, gave a solid start with a 42-run stand off 31 balls before Abhay was caught by Zeeshan Ansari off Kartik Tyagi at 42/1 in 5.1 overs. Mohammad Saif and Aaradhya then added a crucial 38 runs off 34 balls. But once Zeeshan sent Saif back to the pavilion, the Falcons’ chase went off track, and they eventually managed only 124 for eight in their 20 overs. Earlier, the match was delayed by 82 minutes due to rain. Play was halted with the Falcons at 30 without loss in 3.1 overs. For Meerut, Kartik Tyagi picked up three wickets while Vijay claimed two. Zeeshan Ansari and Vishal Chaudhary bowled tight spells and chipped in with a wicket apiece.
