Lucknow, August 15: In an extraordinary finish to the tournament opener, Meerut Mavericks pulled off a dramatic heist from the jaws of defeat as all-rounder Yash Garg struck 19 runs in the final over to seal a sensational one-wicket victory off the final delivery against defending champions Kashi Rudras at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday.
After headlining the first innings with a career-best bowling spell of 4/19, Garg capped a dream all-round performance with an unbeaten, ice-cool 26 off 14 deliveries. With Meerut nine wickets down and needing 19 runs off the ultimate over, Garg launched an audacious assault, beginning with a boundary and a six, before clobbering another maximum when seven runs were needed off two balls, and calmly taking a single off the last delivery to complete a breathtaking chase.
Meerut Mavericks captain Rinku Singh lauded his match-winner and expressed satisfaction with the opening victory: “Winning the first match gives the entire squad immense confidence, especially given how tight the contest became. When Yash hit that boundary with a cover scoop in the final over, I told Swastik, ‘Brother, it’s his day today. He took four wickets, fielded brilliantly, and who knows, he might finish it with the bat too.’ And that’s exactly what happened. Yash is a very hardworking cricketer who has been delivering for us for three years across batting, bowling, and fielding. I also really enjoyed captaining today and rotating our bowlers – Vishal, Yash, and Zeeshan – and brought myself on to bowl when the match-up suited.”
The high-octane encounter kicked off following a gala opening ceremony attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as the chief guest, alongside BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla, UP T20 League Chairman Dr. Sanjay Kapoor, Suresh Raina and Abhishek Sharma.
Earlier in the evening, Meerut skipper Rinku Singh won the toss and elected to field first. Kashi Rudras got off to a measured start through opener Abhishek Goswami’s fluent 42 off 32 deliveries. However, Garg triggered a collapse with a double strike, removing Kashi captain Karan Sharma. Sunrisers Hyderabad spinner Zeeshan Ansari tightened the screws with figures of 3/19, while Vishal Chaudhary bowled an economical spell of 2/13. Garg’s four-wicket haul took him past the 50-wicket milestone to 51 career wickets in the competition, as the Rudras were restricted to 118 in their 20 overs.
Chasing 119, Meerut’s innings began on shaky ground when seamer Vaibhav Chaudhary dismissed explosive opener Swastik Chikara in the second over. Kashi’s disciplined attack applied immense pressure, restricting the Mavericks to 47/4 at the halfway stage.
Skipper Rinku Singh (28 off 21 balls) and Divyansh Rajput (26 off 24 balls) revived the innings with a pivotal 36-run partnership for the fifth wicket. However, Kashi found an opening when Kartik Yadav dismissed Rinku and swiftly removed Sandeep Tomar to swing momentum back.
With 26 required off the final 18 balls, Kashi pacer Atal Bihari Vipin Rai appeared to have settled the contest with a double strike off consecutive balls, dismissing Rajput and removing Zeeshan Ansari for a golden duck. Rai’s spell of 4/23 took his tournament tally to 54 wickets, placing him as the all-time leading wicket-taker in UP T20 history. However, Garg had the final say, orchestrating an unforgettable last-over turnaround to give Meerut Mavericks a dream start to Season 4.
Reflecting on his match-winning heroics, Player of the Match Yash Garg said:
“I never dreamt it would unfold quite like this, but I had the belief that if such a situation arose, I was prepared for it. Usually, my batting isn’t required, but I had worked hard for this moment and thankfully got the team over the line. When I walked in, the mindset was simply to take the game deep because everyone in our lineup can bat. In the final over, I had no choice but to go for big hits, and fortunately, they came off. Even though I have been playing for four years, I was more nervous with the ball than ever before, but getting a wicket on the first ball settled me down.”
Upcoming Fixtures (Saturday, August 15):
Match 2: Noida Kings vs. Kanpur Superstars (3:00 PM IST)
Match 3: Lucknow Falcons vs. Gorakhpur Lions (7:30 PM IST)
