The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That brings us to the end our coverage from the first semi final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Punjab ends up becoming the first finalists and will be waiting for the winner of the Assam vs Uttar Pradesh clash. Lots of matches currently underway. You can switch tabs to follow the World Cup games. The second semi final will start in around a hour and half time. Till then, this is me (Arya Sekhar Chakraborty) signing off also on behalf of my fellow commentator Tasmai Krishnan.
Mandeep Singh (Punjab captain): I think very grateful that I played a good knock today in a big game. Abhishek made my life very easy. We were hoping to bat sensibly and we knew we would chase this down. I think, you know Avi bhai very well. The way wicket was behaving, it was a great effort from the bowlers to restrict them to a score less than 200. I think our batting order is very flexible. It's just someone is putting up the hand and delivering for the team. This is very heartening to see.
Abhishek Sharma (Player of the Match): Yes I am really happy with my performance. It was due on my side to score some runs and contribute. It was from past two years I have been working with Yuvraj Singh which has helped me a lot. These are the bunch of guys we have been playing for two years.
Yash Dhull (Delhi captain): Thought it was a good total but we were probably around 15 runs short. The run-out we had was probably the turning point, we were going well till that point but we slowed down a bit after that. Very happy with my team, we are all very young and there's a great bond within the team.
Punjab won by 6 wickets (with 8 deliveries to spare)
With 8 balls to spare, nothing looked a concern for Punjab, as they just sailed passed what I thought was a mighty large total to chase in a high pressure game like this!. It all started off with Abhishek Sharma playing a knock that he would like to translate in the finals- absolutely phenomenal!! The composure and maturity he showcased as a 23-year-old was sight to marvel!! He was initially accompanied by a very quiet Mandeep Singh, who later unleashed the beast he was masking within!!
That knock from Mandeep which was permeated by shots all around the park was just something you wouldn't come across every day. Loved the way Mayank Yadav bowled in the middle, especially holding such a menacing pace in his arsenal. With regard to Delhi, they were good...but it takes much more than that! All through the tournament they were fabulous in all 3 departments, but today they were tested, by 2 heavily talented batters.
Had Saini and Sangwan bowled better spells, this game could have taken a completely different direction. Suyash was exceptional with the ball as always, a tad expensive today, but he finished his tournament in the top 5 wicket takers list! What Delhi lacked was the services of Ishant Sharma with the new ball and Harshit Rana with the old ball. Punjab were good in all aspects, but they would hope for Arshdeep Singh to bounce back in the finals. Overall a fantastic game of cricket!!
18.4 Lalit Yadav to Nehal Wadhera, Punjab has reached the final. On a length a shade outside off, punched away towards the long-off region to win with 8 deliveries to spare.
18.3 Lalit Yadav to Nehal Wadhera, SIX! Wadhera comes down the track and nails it over the widish long-off fence. Was a length delivery outside off, Wadhera comes dancing down the track and goes inside out, smashed from his presence. Just one more run needed.
18.2 Lalit Yadav to Mandeep Singh, jams away the yorker-length delivery a shade outside off towards the cover-point region and takes a single.
18.1 Lalit Yadav to Nehal Wadhera, Wadhera comes down the track and pushes this length delivery around middle towards the long-off fielder for a single.
Coming back into the attack, is the off spinner, Lalit Yadav
Another over of cricketing genius from Punjab!! They have silently got the game down to an equation where less than a run a ball is needed. Fantastic stuff from Mandeep Singh!! Loved the way he transitioned from the silent partner with Abhishek Sharma, to the spearhead of the partnership with Wadhera.
18
overs
175/4score
6
1
1
1
1
2
runs
Mandeep Singh*
62(35)
Nehal Wadhera
5(7)
Navdeep Saini
0/32
17.6 Navdeep Saini to Mandeep Singh, that was a fuller one outside off, sliced uppish drive over the extra cover fielder and has enough time to return for a brace.
17.5 Navdeep Saini to Nehal Wadhera, slower back of a length delivery a shade outside off, bunted away down towards the long-off region for a single.
17.4 Navdeep Saini to Mandeep Singh, slower fuller-length delivery around the middle stump, chipped away with soft hands, just evading the bowler and has to be content with a single in the end.
17.3 Navdeep Saini to Nehal Wadhera, carves away the back of a length delivery a shade outside off towards the deep point fielder for a single.
17.2 Navdeep Saini to Mandeep Singh, slower fuller-length delivery a shade outside off, nudged away towards the long-on region for a single.
17.1 Navdeep Saini to Mandeep Singh, SIX! What a start to the over. Was a short of a length delivery from Navdeep, was perhaps the off pace delivery. Mandeep was a bit early into the shot as he swipes it away but makes good enough contact to deposit that just over the deep backward square leg fence.
Returning to bowl is, the right arm quick, Navdeep Saini
A good over from Mayank Yadav. Even smarter batting from Mandeep. He used Mayank's pace to rotate and retained strike for the next over. Extremely smart batting from both these batsmen. I wouldn't mind seeing some change of pace from the Delhi pacers. More than smart, the apt word to describe Mandeep's batting would be sensible!! He knows exactly when to play the extravagant shot and when to slyly rotate it around the corner for a single