The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That brings us to the end our coverage from the first semi final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Punjab ends up becoming the first finalists and will be waiting for the winner of the Assam vs Uttar Pradesh clash. Lots of matches currently underway. You can switch tabs to follow the World Cup games. The second semi final will start in around a hour and half time. Till then, this is me (Arya Sekhar Chakraborty) signing off also on behalf of my fellow commentator Tasmai Krishnan.
Mandeep Singh (Punjab captain): I think very grateful that I played a good knock today in a big game. Abhishek made my life very easy. We were hoping to bat sensibly and we knew we would chase this down. I think, you know Avi bhai very well. The way wicket was behaving, it was a great effort from the bowlers to restrict them to a score less than 200. I think our batting order is very flexible. It's just someone is putting up the hand and delivering for the team. This is very heartening to see.
Abhishek Sharma (Player of the Match): Yes I am really happy with my performance. It was due on my side to score some runs and contribute. It was from past two years I have been working with Yuvraj Singh which has helped me a lot. These are the bunch of guys we have been playing for two years.
Yash Dhull (Delhi captain): Thought it was a good total but we were probably around 15 runs short. The run-out we had was probably the turning point, we were going well till that point but we slowed down a bit after that. Very happy with my team, we are all very young and there's a great bond within the team.
Punjab won by 6 wickets (with 8 deliveries to spare)
With 8 balls to spare, nothing looked a concern for Punjab, as they just sailed passed what I thought was a mighty large total to chase in a high pressure game like this!. It all started off with Abhishek Sharma playing a knock that he would like to translate in the finals- absolutely phenomenal!! The composure and maturity he showcased as a 23-year-old was sight to marvel!! He was initially accompanied by a very quiet Mandeep Singh, who later unleashed the beast he was masking within!!
That knock from Mandeep which was permeated by shots all around the park was just something you wouldn't come across every day. Loved the way Mayank Yadav bowled in the middle, especially holding such a menacing pace in his arsenal. With regard to Delhi, they were good...but it takes much more than that! All through the tournament they were fabulous in all 3 departments, but today they were tested, by 2 heavily talented batters.
Had Saini and Sangwan bowled better spells, this game could have taken a completely different direction. Suyash was exceptional with the ball as always, a tad expensive today, but he finished his tournament in the top 5 wicket takers list! What Delhi lacked was the services of Ishant Sharma with the new ball and Harshit Rana with the old ball. Punjab were good in all aspects, but they would hope for Arshdeep Singh to bounce back in the finals. Overall a fantastic game of cricket!!
18.4 Lalit Yadav to Nehal Wadhera, Punjab has reached the final. On a length a shade outside off, punched away towards the long-off region to win with 8 deliveries to spare.
18.3 Lalit Yadav to Nehal Wadhera, SIX! Wadhera comes down the track and nails it over the widish long-off fence. Was a length delivery outside off, Wadhera comes dancing down the track and goes inside out, smashed from his presence. Just one more run needed.
18.2 Lalit Yadav to Mandeep Singh, jams away the yorker-length delivery a shade outside off towards the cover-point region and takes a single.
18.1 Lalit Yadav to Nehal Wadhera, Wadhera comes down the track and pushes this length delivery around middle towards the long-off fielder for a single.
Coming back into the attack, is the off spinner, Lalit Yadav