PUNJAB PANTHERS REGISTER COMMANDING 81-RUN WIN OVER CITY CHALLENGERS

 

Face2News/Chandigarh/Panchkula

In a nail-biting encounter at the Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium, HIIMS Hawks edged past Manohar Mavericks by three runs at the ongoing Chandra Shekhar Azad Memorial T20 Tournament. Batting first, Hawks posted 176/7, powered by stellar half-centuries from Gurtaj Singh Bains (57 off 42 balls) and skipper Shivam Bhambri (57 off 41 balls).

Unbeaten Gaurav Gambhir also did well with 24 off 14 balls. Abhishek Singh (3/32) clinched three wickets. In response, once reeling at 3/36, Manohar Mavericks fought valiantly with Gaurav Puri’s blistering 73 off 41 balls, but fell just short at 173/6. Bhagmender Lather added 32 off 20 balls. Rahul Singh and Gaurav Gambhir picked up two wickets each for the Hawks.

Later in the day, Punjab Panthers delivered a commanding performance securing an emphatic 81-run win over City Challengers. Batting first, Panthers posted 180/6, led by Ankit Kaushik’s unbeaten 55 off 32 balls. Jashan Beniwal scored 27 while Vikas Kumar added 26 runs. In response, City Challengers crumbled to 99 in 18.4 overs, with Chaitanya Sharma (4/16) and Rohit Dhanda (2/7) leading the bowling attack. Harijit Singh (21) was the top scorer for the batting side.

With two games remaining, WildWood Warriors lead with 24 points, followed by HIIMS Hawks (20). Talanoa Tigers and City Challengers are tied at 16 points, while Punjab Panthers (12) gain momentum with their latest win. Manohar Mavericks, with eight points, remain at the bottom as the quarterfinal race intensifies.

Chief Guests - Pavittar Singh, Director, Hospitality, UT and Dinesh Uniyal, DGP, North West Sector, CRPF felicitated the outstanding players in the presence of Sanjay Tandon, President, UTCA, Dr Rupesh Singh, Chairman, Tournament, Devinder Sharma, Secretary, UTCA and Apex members - CA Alok Krishan (Treasurer) and Hari Singh Khurana.