Left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Shams Mulani achieved his maiden List A five-wicket haul as Mumbai secured a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Chhattisgarh in their Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group C match at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya ground.
After winning the toss and electing to field first in conducive conditions, Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur dismantled Chhattisgarh’s top order with four wickets. The right-arm seamer struck twice in the opening over, leaving the opposition in trouble at 9/3 within five overs. He then captured the wickets of Ashutosh Singh and Sanjeet Desai, both caught at slip by Sarfaraz Khan, putting Mumbai firmly in control.
Chhattisgarh’s captain Amandeep Khare (50) and Ajay Mandal (46) mounted a spirited counterattack, forming a 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket that helped them surpass the 100-run mark. Khare, recording his third consecutive half-century of the tournament, played with poise until Mulani broke the partnership, trapping Mandal lbw.
Once the partnership was broken, Mulani tightened his grip on the innings as Chhattisgarh’s lower order collapsed. Musheer Khan took the important wicket of Khare, and the tail crumbled, with the last five wickets falling for just 37 runs, leaving Chhattisgarh all out for 143.
In response, Mumbai chased down the modest target with ease, as Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored an unbeaten 68 off 66 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes. The young player, who had recently suffered a concussion and required medical clearance to play, led the chase with maturity.
Veteran batter Siddhesh Lad provided solid support with an unbeaten 48 off 42 deliveries, forming an unbroken 93-run partnership for the second wicket. Despite losing debutant opener Ishan Mulchandani early to Harsh Yadav, Mumbai comfortably completed their chase in just 24 overs.
Brief Scores:
Chhattisgarh 142 all out in 38.1 overs (Amandeep Khare 63, Ajay Mandal 46; Shams Mulani 5-31, Shardul Thakur 4-31) lost to Mumbai 144/1 in 24 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 68 not out, Siddhesh Lad 48 not out; Harsh Yadav 1-44) by nine wickets.