Domestic giants Mumbai clinched the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy after defeating Himachal Pradesh by three wickets in the final clash on Saturday.
Mumbai bowlers were brilliant as spinner Tanush Kotain (3/15) and medium-pacer Mohit Avasthi (3/21) shared six wickets between and restricted Himachal Pradesh to 143/8.
When it comes to chasing, Mumbai's batting struggled before Sarfaraz Khan took the onus and registered an unbeaten 36-run knock off 31 balls to help his side win with three balls to spare.
Opting to field, Mohit drew the first blood by striking early, getting rid of Himachal wicketkeeper Ankush Bains (4) and Sumeet Verma (8) within the first five overs.
Spinner Tanush (3/15) then turned the game on its head with two consecutive wickets in the eighth over.
Himachal lower order comprising Akash Vasisht (25), Ekant Sen (37), and Mayank Dangar (21 not out) added 91 runs to the board.
Defending the target, Rishi Dhawan (2/26) dismissed big-hitting Prithvi Shaw (11) and skipper Ajinkya Rahane (1).
Yashasvi Jaiswal (27) and Shreyas Iyer (34) steadied the innings but Mayank Dagar (2/24) broke the 41-run partnership with his spell.
Led by Arora, Himachal bowlers then fashioned a mini batting collapse as Mumbai were suddenly down to 119/7.
While wickets kept falling at the other end, Sarfaraz kept his calm, going about his work silently.
With Mumbai needing 23 off the last 12 balls, Sarfaraz smashed two fours and a maximum and turned the tables in Mumbai's favour.
In the last over, tail-ender Tanush collected two runs off the first ball while the second delivery was a dot, increasing pressure.
But Tanush dispatched a short delivery over the fence, sending the Mumbai team into a frenzy and Himachal Pradesh into despair.
Earlier in the semifinais, while Mumbai defeated Vidarbha to book the final ticket, Punjab had to face defeat in the semifinals against Himachal Pradesh.
(Inputs from PTI)
