Punjab halted their brief wobble in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a nervy, two-wicket win over Madhya Pradesh at the DY Patil Academy ground, Pune. Chasing 226, they got home with five balls to spare – their seventh 200-plus pursuit of the campaign, a record for a single edition of the tournament.
The reply started awkwardly when captain Prabhsimran Singh edged behind in the second over. Any early panic disappeared once Anmolpreet Singh and Harnoor Singh began swinging. The pair rattled up 50 in 18 balls, Anmolpreet’s 38 off 14 ending only when Mangesh Yadav cramped him for room.
Harnoor pressed on – 64 from 36 deliveries, five fours and three sixes – and found an able partner in Salil Arora. Their 73-run stand kept the asking rate sensible, Arora reaching a half-century from 29 balls before holing out in the 16th over.
At that point Punjab still needed 45 off the last five overs. A mini-collapse – four wickets for 20 runs – gave Madhya Pradesh a sniff, yet Ramandeep Singh refused to blink. His unbeaten 35 from 21 balls, nudging and muscling anything loose, dragged the chase over the line.
“It was really just about staying calm,” Ramandeep told the host broadcaster. “We bat deep, so someone had to take it deep.”
Earlier, Madhya Pradesh looked a touch light after being asked to bat, but 225 for 8 always asks questions. Venkatesh Iyer’s 70 off 43 held the innings together, the left-hander unfurling trademark pick-ups over mid-wicket. Brief cameos from Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Aniket Verma and Mangesh kept the board moving, though Punjab’s quick Gurnoor Brar (3 for 45) struck at helpful moments – twice with slower balls that gripped.
Madhya Pradesh coach Chandrakant Pandit admitted the total “felt 10–15 short in these conditions”, pointing to the short square boundaries.
Punjab’s batting depth continues to paper over bowling inconsistencies, but five wins from seven keeps them in the Super League mix. For Madhya Pradesh, three defeats on the bounce leave little margin for error.
Key takeaways
• Punjab have now passed 200 seven times this season; no other side has more than four.
• Harnoor’s second fifty of the tournament came at a strike-rate of 177.
• Gurnoor Brar’s 3 for 45 was the first three-wicket haul by a Punjab seamer in the Super League phase.
Both teams return on Thursday – Punjab meet Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh face Karnataka – and, with the table tight, every over is starting to matter.
