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The Nainital SG Pipers emerged as victors in the afternoon clash of the double-header Tuesday, sealing a 20-run victory over the Haridwar Spring Elmas.
Shashwat Dangwal spearheaded Spring Elmas' fightback with a gritty batting display but the frequent fall of wickets at the other end and his dismissal in the penultimate over prevented them from securing victory. Chasing 190, the Haridwar Spring Elmas promoted Himanshu Sony to open the innings with captain Ravikumar Samarth, replacing Daksh Awana. However, Himanshu Sony failed to leave an impact, being dismissed in the very first over of the innings. The dismissal triggered a mini-collapse, with Spring Elmas losing three more wickets and ending the Powerplay at 39/4. Shashwat Dangwal fought bravely, leading the charge with a fighting 77. Sparsh Joshi (16 from 9) and Girish Rauturi (14 from 6) chipped in with useful runs but couldn't stay long enough to forge a crucial partnership. Prashant Bhati (20 from 15) joined Shashwat Dangwal in the middle, and the pair started building a crucial partnership to drive the chase. However, the SG Pipers made a significant breakthrough at the start of the 19th over by dismissing Shashwat Dangwal and eventually restricting the opposition to 169/9. Shashwat Dangwal's 46-ball innings featured eight sixes and four fours. For the SG Pipers, Nikhil Pundir (3/23) and Mayank Mishra (3/28) starred with the ball, claiming three wickets apiece. After being sent in to bat, Nainital SG Pipers' Priyanshu Khanduri took an aggressive approach from the outset. However, he lost his opening partner Avneesh Sudha (11 off 11) and No.3 Kartik Bhatt (6 off 4) inside the Powerplay. Despite early setbacks, Priyanshu Khanduri raced to his half-century in just 27 balls. But his explosive innings ended when the Haridwar Spring Elmas skipper, Ravikumar Samarth, bowled him out for a 31-ball 56. Wickets continued to fall regularly during the middle overs, while Bhanu Pratap Singh held firm at one end with a composed 30-ball 35. SG Pipers' skipper Rajan Kumar (29 off 13) and Arush Melkani (32* off 17) delivered a late surge, with their quickfire 58-run partnership boosting the team to a competitive total of 189/7.(ANI)
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