Mumbai, Dec 5, 2024
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed a triple-wicket maiden as Uttar Pradesh secured a narrow 10-run victory over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) group-stage match against Jharkhand at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Chasing 161 for victory, Jharkhand looked steady in patches, but Bhuvneshwar’s masterful swing derailed their chase. Bowling with the new ball, the Meerut-born pacer conceded just six runs in his first three overs.
When he returned in the 17th over, Bhuvneshwar delivered a game-changing final over, dismissing Robin Minz, Bal Krishna, and Vivek Anand Tiwari on consecutive deliveries to claim a sensational. He finished with exceptional figures of 4-1-6-3, ensuring Jharkhand fell short by 10 runs.
This was Uttar Pradesh’s fifth win in seven matches, while this was Jharkhand’s second defeat in seven games.
This performance caps off a historic SMAT season for Bhuvneshwar. Last month, in Uttar Pradesh’s opening match against Delhi, he became the first Indian pacer to reach 300 T20 wickets, surpassing Jasprit Bumrah.
Bhuvneshwar has accumulated 90 T20I wickets between 2012 and 2022, making him India’s second-highest wicket-taking pacer in the format. He has 181 wickets in 176 SMAT matches in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Last month, the ace seamer was roped in by Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction for Rs 10.75 crore.(Agency)
