Bhubaneswar: Govind Poddar’s (50, 33b, 5×4, 2×6) went to vain as Hyderabad defeated Odisha by six runs in a thrilling game of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 cricket tournament here Tuesday. After being put in, Hyderabad scored 153 for the loss of eight wickets in their 20 overs and then restricted Odisha to 147 for four. This was Odisha’s second loss in the tournament. They had lost their first game to Bengal by nine wickets.
A second wicket stand of 68 runs between Tanmay Agarwal (34) and Tilak Verma (44) put Hyderabad in a good position. However, even though they lost quick wickets after that, some cameos lower down the order took Hyderabad past the 150-run mark. For Odisha, Suryakant Pradhan (3/34) and Ankit Yadav (2/23) bowled well.
When Odisha batted they lost openers Aditya Rout (two) and Shantanu Mishra (13) early. Govind and skipper Subhranshu Senapati (43, 36b, 4×4) added 55 runs for the third wicket to steady the ship. However, both failed to force the pace which led to the run rate always climbing. Biplab Samantray (five) failed to come good and even though Rajesh Dhupar (30 n o, 26b, 1×4, 1×6) tried his best, it failed to help Odisha win the game.
Brief scores: Hyderabad 153 for 8 (Tilak Verma 44, Suryakant Pradhan 3/34, Ankit Yadav 2/23) beat Odisha 147 for 4 (Govind Poddar 50, Subhranshu Senapati 43) by six runs.