Bhuvneshwar Kumar shines with hat-trick in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

New Delhi [India], December 5 (ANI): Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered a sensational bowling performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, celebrating his recent acquisition by Royal Challengers Bengaluru with a stunning hat-trick. Leading Uttar Pradesh, he finished with extraordinary figures of 3/6 against Jharkhand, securing a 10-run victory for his team.
Defending a target of 161, Bhuvneshwar turned the match on its head in the 17th over, dismissing Robin Minz, Bal Krishna, and Vivekanand Tiwari with the first three balls. His hat-trick came in a triple-wicket maiden over, underlining his brilliance as a bowler. Despite this impressive win, Uttar Pradesh remains sixth in Group B with 8 points.
Bhuvneshwar, who now has nine wickets in the tournament, was recently signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs10.75 crore at the 2025 IPL Mega Auction in Jeddah.
In another thrilling encounter, Rajasthan set a target of 153 runs in 20 overs. Despite Mohammed Shami's superb bowling figures of 3/26, Bengal successfully chased the target in 18.3 overs, thanks to Abishek Porel's 78 off 48 balls.
Puducherry set a target of 176 runs for Railways, but Ashutosh Sharma's unbeaten 50* off 22 balls guided Railways to a comfortable victory.
Gujarat posted a mammoth 251/5 in their 20 overs, with Axar Patel smashing an explosive 56 off 20 balls, including six sixes. Karnataka could only muster 203 in response, with Axar earning Player of the Match honours for his all-round performance, which included bowling figures of 2/22.
Ruturaj Gaikwad's blistering 97 off 48 balls powered Maharashtra to a commanding total of 232 against Services, who fell short at 190/8 in their chase.
Ajinkya Rahane, recently signed by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Mega Auction, demonstrated his T20 prowess with an exceptional 95 off 54 balls, helping Mumbai chase down a target of 230 against Andhra Pradesh.
Baroda rewrote T20 cricket history by amassing a record-breaking total of 349/5 against Sikkim at the Emerald High School Ground in Indore. The previous record of 344/4, held by Zimbabwe against Gambia in Nairobi, was eclipsed. Sikkim could only manage 86/7 in reply.
Thursday's action also featured Punjab opener Abhishek Sharma scoring the second-fastest T20 century in history. The left-hander smashed an unbeaten 106 off just 29 balls, including 11 sixes and 8 fours, against Meghalaya at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium C in Rajkot.
Abhishek's century, achieved in just 28 balls, matched the record set by Gujarat wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel in the same tournament last week against Tripura. His breathtaking innings came at a staggering strike rate of 365.52, as Punjab chased down Meghalaya's target of 143 in just 9.3 overs. (ANI)