Uttar Pradesh captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar led from the front to beat Jharkhand in the Group C clash of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. UP defended 160 runs to win but 10 runs as their skipper picked up a stunning hattrick in the 17th over of the innings.
This is the first time in his career that Bhuvneshwar picked up three wickets off consecutive balls as he sent back Robin Minz, Bal Krishna and Vivekanand Tiwari. He also delivered a maiden 17th over to turn the game on its head as Jharkhand failed to chase 161 despite Anukul Roy's 91-run knock off 44 deliveries.
The 34-year-old's performance comes close on the heels of Royal Challengers Bengaluru splurging Rs 10.75 crore for him at the IPL 2025 mega auction not long ago. In fact, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been in top form in the tournament so far picking nine wickets in seven matches.
As far as the match is concerned, Rinku Singh's 45-run knock propelled UP to 160/8 in their 20 overs after losing the toss. Bal Krishna was the best of the bowlers for Jharkhand as he returned with figures of 3/27 in four overs. In response, Jharkhand lost quick wickets upfront to be at 23/3 at one stage even as Ishan Kishan failed. But Anukul Roy provided the real impetus to the innings smashing eight fours and seven sixes during his 91-run knock.
At 116/5 after 16 overs and Roy hitting the ball well, Jharkhand were the favourites to win the game. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar had other ideas as he delivered a stunning 17th over picking up three wickets and not conceding a single run. This is where the game turned and despite Roy's efforts, Jharkand could only reach 150 before getting bundled out in the final over.