[Watch] Bhuvneshwar Kumar takes two wickets for Lucknow Falcons in Qualifier 1 of the UP T20 League 2024
Indian fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar demonstrated his bowling prowess by taking two wickets and delivering an economical spell for the Lucknow Falcons in their Qualifier 1 match against the Meerut Mavericks in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League 2024. The game was held at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Bhuvneshwar claimed his first wicket by dismissing Akshay Dubey on the final delivery of the first over. He bowled a wide ball outside off-stump, which Dubey attempted to hit to the leg side but only managed an inside edge that went on to hit the stumps. Dubey scored five runs off three balls.
The 34-year-old then removed the tournament's top run-scorer, Swastik Chikara, with the last ball of the third over. Bhuvneshwar's back-of-a-length delivery provided no room for Chikara, who edged the ball straight to the wicketkeeper. Chikara scored six runs off 11 balls.
Here’s the video of both the dismissals:
Captain Madhav Kaushik (52* off 43 balls) and Rituraj Sharma (54 off 36 balls) provided stability for Meerut, steering them to a solid total of 153 in their 20 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the standout performer for Lucknow, taking two wickets and giving away just 22 runs in his four-over spell.
Priyam Garg’s knock goes in vain as Meerut wins by 9 runs
Chasing a target of 154, the Lucknow Falcons got off to a shaky start, losing opener Samarth Singh for just seven runs. Captain Priyam Garg, who came in at number three, stabilized the innings, scoring consistently from one end.
Harsh Tyagi had a lackluster performance, contributing 21 runs off 30 balls with just one boundary. Garg scored 56 off 42 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes, before being dismissed by Zeeshan Ansari.
The Falcons needed 53 runs from the last five overs with six wickets in hand, but they continued to lose wickets and were eventually bowled out for 144 with one ball remaining, falling short by nine runs. Vijay Kumar, Zeeshan Ansari, and Yash Garg each took two wickets for the Meerut Mavericks.