Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy: Bhuvneshwar takes 3 in UP’s 11-run loss

Bengaluru, Jan 10 : Bhuvneshwar Kumar took three wickets for Uttar Pradesh (UP) in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in what was his first competitive match since he limped out of an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in early October due to a thigh injury.
His efforts, along with captain Suresh Raina’s unbeaten 56 off 50 balls went in vain as UP lost to Punjab by 11 runs in their first match of the tournament.
Bhuvneshwar’s injury had ruled him out of the rest of the IPL and India’s ongoing tour of Australia. With figures of 3/22, he was the highest wicket taker for UP in their Group A match against Punjab. His efforts helped UP restrict Punjab to 134/7 in 20 overs but they were unable to chase down the low target despite captain Suresh Raina scoring an unbeaten 56 off 50 balls. Their innings ended on 123/5 in 20 overs.
Meanwhile, a half century from Vivek Singh ensured Bengal register a facile nine wicket victory over Odisha in their first Group B tie. Chasing 114 to win after Odisha was bowled out for 113 in their 20 overs, Bengal reached the target in 12.2 overs losing one wicket, with Vivek Singh and debutant Suvankar Bal remaining unbeaten on 54 and 34 respectively.
Brief scores: Group A: