SMAT 2025-26, Group B: Shaw, Kulkarni hit fifties as Maharashtra beats Hyderabad; Uttar Pradesh thrashes J&K
Arshin Kulkarni and Prithvi Shaw scored stroke-filled half-centuries as Maharashtra bounced back to beat Hyderabad by eight wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Group B match at Jadavpur University ground in Kolkata on Friday.
Put in to bat on a flat surface, Hyderabad totalled 191 for eight. Maharashtra, following its dismal outing against Jammu and Kashmir, achieved the target in the penultimate over.
Even though the target looked formidable, Kulkarni and Shaw batted positively and made the most of the ‘lives’ they got. They unleashed their fine stroke-play to plunder 117 runs and laid a solid foundation for the opening stand.
Kulkarni (89 n.o., 54b, 12×4, 2×6) cut and drove powerfully, whereas Shaw (66, 36b, 9×4, 3×6), who impressed with his flat-batted punches and great placement, played his shots all around the park. They collected 33 runs in the last two overs of the PowerPlay, which produced 68, to put Hyderabad under serious pressure.
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When Shaw was bowled by Rakshann Readdi in the 13th over, the match was in Maharashtra’s control. Kulkarni added 41 with Rahul Tripathi (26 n.o.) to complete the formalities.
While Hyderabad bowlers were erratic in their line and length, their fielders made matters worse with a below-par showing.
Earlier, Hyderabad lost wickets frequently because of Maharashtra’s well-planned bowling. Handy contributions from bottom-half batters, including captain C.V. Milind (35 n.o., 20b, 4×4, 1×6), Tanay Thyagarajan (32, 17b, 3×4, 2×6) and Mohammed Arfaz (23, 13b, 3×4, 1×6), enabled the side to cross 190.
Uttar Pradesh rode on Aryan Juyal’s second successive fifty, Prashant Veer’s all-round showing and Vipraj Nigam’s three-wicket haul to thrash Jammu and Kashmir by 109 runs. Despite in-form pacer Umran Malik scalping three, Uttar Pradesh scored 193 for six. Jammu Kashmir, which missed the services of its skipper Shubham Khajuria during batting, was bundled out for 84.
Madhya Pradesh relied on Vekatesh Iyer and Harsh Gawali’s half-centuries and Shivang Kumar’s three wickets to record a comprehensive 62-run win over Bihar. Madhya Pradesh gathered 174 for eight and wrapped up the Bihar innings for 112.
The scores:
At Eden Gardens:
Madhya Pradesh 174/8 in 20 overs (Venkatesh Iyer 55 n.o., Harsh Gawali 50, Mohd. Izhar 4/39) bt Bihar 112 in 19.2 overs (Bipin Saurabh 32, Shivang Kumar 3/25).
At Jadavpur University ground:
Hyderabad 191/8 in 20 overs (C.V. Milind 35 n.o., Tanay Thyagarajan 32, Rahul Buddhi 31) lost to Maharashtra 192/2 in 18.4 overs (Arshin Kulkarni 89 n.o., Prithvi Shaw 66).
Uttar Pradesh 193/6 in 20 overs (Aryan Juyal 51, Prashant Veer 37 n.o., Karan Sharma 32, Sameer Rizvi 30, Umran Malik 3/37) bt Jammu and Kashmir 84/9 in 15.3 overs (Prashant Veer 3/20, Vipraj Nigam 3/25).
Published on Nov 28, 2025
