Dehradun, Punjab in IJPL final

Dehradun Rockers will meet Punjab Tigers in the final of the inaugural edition of the Indian Junior Premier League (IJPL) Talent Hunt at the International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.

Dehradun Rockers won a battle of nerves against fancied Hyderabad Hawks, clinching the first semi-final by 12 runs here on Thursday.

In the other high-voltage semifinal, Punjab Tigers kept Rajasthan Roarers at bay, winning by four wickets to set up a summit clash with Dehradun Rockers.

Dehradun Rockers skipper Uvais Ahmed led by example in the first semifinal, amassing more than half of his team's 166 runs.

Ahmed's amassed 92 runs off just 50 balls, included six sixes and nine boundaries.

The Dehradun Rockers skipper was dismissed while trying to accelerate the innings, caught by Chinamaya in his bid to hit a third consecutive six off the bowling of Sai Vihari in the 18th over.

In an anti-climax, instead of going after the Hyderabad Hawks bowlers at that stage, the Rockers batsmen played their strokes in a hurry and got out cheaply in quick succession.

The Hawks came back strongly, bagging four wickets in a span of just five deliveries. In the end, Shreya Saklani (10 runs off 5 balls) took the Rockers to a commanding total.

Set a big target, Hyderabad Hawks choked under pressure. While Vikas Murki held the innings together for some time with an impressive 69 runs off 50 balls, the rest of his team-mates looked unprepared for a grueling battle.

Sai Vihari lent some support with a quick 23 off 24 balls, while for the Rockers, Harsh Mittal (2/25), Rohit Rana (2/30), Suraj Satwal (1/32) produced a tight and disciplined effort to bring down the Hawks at 152 for seven wickets in 20 overs.

--IANS

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