[Watch] Shikhar Dhawan smashes 86 off 43 balls to help Northern Challengers win in Big Cricket League 2024

Former Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan was in top form as he blasted a fiery half-century for Northern Challengers against Southern Spartans in the Big Cricket League 2024 opening match. The game was played at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Vesu, Surat, on Thursday, December 12.

Chasing a 204-run target, Vishal Prasad (13) and Rajat Singh (18) were unable to build significant innings. However, Challengers' captain Dhawan was in excellent form, bringing up his fifty in just 23 balls. The southpaw continued to dominate, finishing with 86 off 43 balls, including four boundaries and eight maximums.

Here’s a video of Shikhar Dhawan’s innings:

Gurkeerat Singh Mann played a fantastic cameo, scoring 31 off 14 balls with four boundaries and one six.

Towards the end, Samiullah Shinwari remained unbeaten on nine, while Bipul Sharma smashed 33* off 19 balls, including three fours and two sixes, guiding the Northern Challengers to chase down the target. They won the match by six wickets, with eight balls to spare.

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Suresh Raina shines with a knock of 49 runs for Southern Spartans

Asked to bat first, Southern Spartans didn’t get off to an ideal start, losing Faiz Fazal for nine off 11 balls to Anureet Singh. However, Solomon Mire (47 off 28 balls) and wicketkeeper-batter Shrestha put on a 44-run partnership for the second wicket.

Skipper Suresh Raina then came in at No. 4 and formed an excellent 85-run partnership off 50 balls with Shrestha for the third wicket. Raina fell just short of a well-deserved half-century, being run out by Bipul Sharma for 49 off 27 balls, including seven boundaries and one six. Meanwhile, Shrestha contributed 36 off 33 balls with one four and two sixes.

In the final overs, Aman Khan remained unbeaten on 29 off nine balls, including one four and three sixes, while Abhimanyu Mithun finished on 27* off 12 balls, helping the Southern Spartans post a total of 203 runs in their 20 overs.