In an exciting turn of events, Chennai Super Kings batter Sameer Rizvi played an innings reminiscent of MS Dhoni in the UP T20 League. Rizvi’s brilliant performance rescued Kanpur Superstars from a precarious situation in their opening match against Lucknow Falcons at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow.
Image Source : PTI – Sameer Rizvi and MS Dhoni.
Sameer Rizvi Shows Off His Skills
Coming in to bat at number 5 when Kanpur’s score was a troubling 16/3, Rizvi demonstrated top-notch resilience. Despite watching more wickets fall around him, taking the team down to 50/6, Rizvi stayed strong, much like MS Dhoni often did for the Indian team. His composed yet aggressive knock of 89 runs from 59 balls, inclusive of eight fours and six sixes, helped Kanpur reach a respectable total of 156.
Rizvi’s efforts came to an end on the second last ball of the 19th over with the score at 148. However, his performance set a platform that Kanpur defended passionately.
A Fight to the Finish
Lucknow Falcons put up a valiant fight but fell just short, amassing 153/9 in their 20 overs. Captain Priyam Garg top-scored with 31 runs from 23 balls, and opener Samarth Singh contributed 29 runs from 13 balls. Despite the late efforts of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Vipraj Nigam, who added 30 runs for the final wicket, Lucknow couldn’t cross the finish line.
Lucknow Falcons Squad
Here’s a glimpse at the key players from Lucknow Falcons:
- Ali Zafar
- Kamil Khan
- Parth Palawat
- Priyam Garg
- Samarth Singh
- Sameer Choudhary
- Shubhang Raj
- Abhay Chauhan
- Akshu Bajwa
- Kritagya Singh
- Mohd Shibli
- Navneet
- Vipraj Nigam
- Aaradhya Yadav (Wk)
- Kirtivardhan Upadhyay (Wk)
- Pranjal Saini (Wk)
- Abhinandan Singh
- Aditya Kumar Singh
- Ankur Chauhan
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Harsh Tyagi
- Kartikeya Jaiswal
- Kishan Kumar Singh
- Parv Singh
- Prashant Chaudhary
Kanpur Superstars Squad
Kanpur Superstars’ team features the following players:
- Adarsh Singh
- Kuldeep Kumar
- Mukesh Kumar
- Osho Mohan
- Sameer Rizvi
- Sudhanshu Sonkar
- Sumit Agarwal
- Yuvraj Pandey
- Abhishek Singh Yadav
- Ankur Malik
- Faiz Ahmed
- Mohammed Aashiyan
- Saubhagya Mishra
- Shaurya Singh
- Inzaman Hussain (Wk)
- Shoaib Siddiqui (Wk)
- Aaqib Khan
- Asif Ali
- Mohsin Khan
- Nadeem
- Pankaj Kumar
- Rishabh Rajput
- Shubham Mishra
- Vineet Panwar
A Match to Remember
The Kanpur Superstars’ opening match against Lucknow Falcons was intense from start to finish. Rizvi’s Dhoni-like performance not only set the tone but also became the highlight of the game. It was a gripping encounter that kept fans on the edge of their seats till the very last ball.
With such electrifying performances, the UP T20 League promises more entertaining matches ahead. As the tournament progresses, fans are eagerly awaiting to see more heroic contributions and exhilarating finishes. Whether it be a bottom-order batsman playing a match-saving innings or bowlers defending seemingly unreachable targets, the tournament has already shown that it has plenty of surprises in store.
Stay tuned for more updates and match highlights here on India Press Live.