Indian team to face Lankan side in final of Red Bull Campus Cricket

Title favourites India will face hosts Sri Lanka in the summit clash of university level Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals T20 tournament here on Saturday.

The host country's Business Management School (BMS) on Friday easily defeated Pakistan's Karachi University by eight wickets in the play-off match at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground to set up a summit clash date with their Indian counterparts.

Indian team, Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Commerce (MMMCC) from Pune, had already booked a place in the final after topping the six-team league stage with an all-win record. The Indian team had beaten the Sri Lankan side by seven wickets in the league stage on September 24.

Put into bat, Karachi University made 142 for 8 from their 20 overs with Arsalan Farzand top-scoring with a 43-ball 53 while Khurram Shahzad contributed 34.

BMS chased down the modest target with 2.3 overs to spare as they reached 143 for 2 in 17.3 overs. Wicketkeeper Pasindu Lakshanka remained not out on 75 which he made from 60 balls while opener Hashan Dumindu contributed 35.

On Thursday, MMMCC had thrashed Zimbabwean side National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo by 136 runs to record their fifth win on the trot and storm into the summit clash. The team rode on a fine unbeaten 133 from captain Subham Nagawade to post 244 for two and then restricted the Zimbabwean side to 109 for 9.

This is the third time Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Commerce is representing India in the tournament and the team is making its first appearance in the final. The Pune team topped the league table with 10 points after winning all their five matches and straightway made it to the final.

D A V College, Chandigarh had won the expanded edition of the tournament in 2013 while Rizvi College from Mumbai won the inaugural event in 2012 when it competed among Asian countries only.

Red Bull Campus Cricket is a global T20 cricket tournament for university teams, serving as an international platform for young and budding cricketers to showcase their talent and hone their skills. The tournament is now in its seventh year. Teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and United Arab Emirates took