Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 22 (ANI): Skipper Sameer Rizvi shined as Kanpur Superstars secure a dramatic seven-wicket victory over the Lucknow Falcons in Match 12 of the UP T20 League Season 4 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana International Cricket Stadium.
The rain-curtailed fixture, which took place on Friday, was officially inaugurated by UP T20 League Governing Council Chairman Dr Sanjay Kapoor, who conducted the traditional Bell Ringing Ceremony to commence the game.
The ceremony was attended by several esteemed officials and administrators, including UPCA Media Committee Chairman Mohammad Faheem, Media Convener Ahmed Ali Khan Talib, UP T20 League Governing Council Member Sanjeev Kumar Singh, along with UPCA members JP Singh, Asad Ahmed, and Anand Pathak.
With the match reduced to 18 overs per side due to rain, the Kanpur Superstars won the toss and elected to bowl first.
The Lucknow Falcons started positively with a solid 42-run opening stand. However, the Kanpur bowling attack soon found its rhythm, taking wickets at regular intervals and restricting the scoring rate. By the 16th over, Lucknow found themselves in a precarious position at 108/6.
The innings was revived by crucial late cameos from the lower order. Sameer Choudhary struck a quickfire 18 off 9 balls, while Vipraj Nigam blasted an unbeaten 21 off just 10 deliveries. Their late acceleration propelled the Falcons to a competitive total of 146/7 in their 18 overs. For the Kanpur Superstars, Ajay Kumar was the standout bowler, delivering a brilliant spell to finish with figures of 4/27.
Chasing 147 for victory, the Kanpur Superstars got off to a flying start, comfortably reaching 48/0 at the end of the six-over powerplay.
The breakthrough for Lucknow came immediately after the fielding restrictions were lifted. Introduced into the attack, Vipraj Nigam struck on his very first delivery, dismissing opener Priyanshu Pandey for a well-made 26 off 19 balls.
Captain Sameer Rizvi then joined Adarsh Singh at the crease to stabilise the chase. The duo batted sensibly, stitching together a steady 50-run partnership for the second wicket to keep Kanpur in the hunt. As the game progressed into the death overs, the equation tightened, leaving the Superstars needing 42 runs from the final four overs.
Sensing the pressure, skipper Rizvi shifted the momentum drastically, taking Vipraj Nigam to the cleaners for 19 runs in a massive over. Both Rizvi and Adarsh then brought up their respective half-centuries in the 16th over bowled by veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar. With the equation down to 14 runs needed from 12 balls, the match seemed firmly in Kanpur's grasp.
However, Lucknow mounted a late comeback. Abhinandan Singh struck on the final ball of the penultimate over to dismiss Rizvi for an excellent 58 off 40 balls. In the final over, with just 6 needed, Navneet Kumar dramatically removed Adarsh Singh for 51 (44).
Out of nowhere, back-to-back wickets injected immense pressure, making the equation a tense 5 runs required from 3 balls. Satyam Sangu then held his nerve, striking a crucial boundary to level the scores before taking a single to finally seal the deal. The tense finish earned the Kanpur Superstars a hard-fought seven-wicket victory, marking their first win of the season and reaching fourth spot in the table with a win and three losses. (ANI)
UPT20 League: Skipper Sameer Rizvi helps Kanpur Superstars to first win
