Mushtaq Ali Trophy: All-round Rishi Dhawan propels Himachal Pradesh to win over Hyderabad

CHANDIGARH: Rishi Dhawan starred with the bat and the ball as Himachal Pradesh claimed a thumping 84-run victory over Hyderabad in their Group C encounter of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at Sector 16 Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Dhawan struck 29 runs off just 12 balls, finding the boundary four times and clearing it once as he laid the foundation for the Himachal's 183 for 5 in 20 overs.He shared a 40-run stand for the fifth wicket in just 15 balls with Amit Kumar, who struck five boundaries in a 21-ball 32-run knock.
Earlier, Hyderabad skipper won the toss and opted to field. Abhimanyu Rana (26 off 20b; 3x4, 1x6) and Prashant Chopra (32 off 29b; 3x4, 1x6) gave Himachal Pradesh a flying start and added 44 runs for the opening wicket. Ekant Sen (38 off 32b; 2x4, 2x6) was the other notable contributor for the batting team.
For Hyderabad, Mohammad Siraj (2/31) was the most impressive bowler. Chama Milind (1/27) and Mehedi Hasan (1/30) also chipped in with a wicket apiece.
Hyderabad, coming into the game after losing a nail-biting encounter against Railways, found themselves in deep trouble in reply when their top three - Tanmay Aggarwal (12 off 11b; 2x4), Ambati Rayudu (15 off 14b; 3x4) and Aksath Reddy (7 off 6b; 1x4) - were back in the hut during the powerplay, leaving the team at 36/3.
There was no coming back for Hyderabad as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 99 in 19 overs.
Rishi Dhawan (3/18) was the star with the ball for Himachal Pradesh as he bagged three wickets. Ayush Jamwal (2/18) and Mayank Dagar (2/24) took two wickets each, while Kanwar Singh (1/20) and Pankaj Jaswal (1/19) shared a wicket apiece.
Brief Scores:
Himachal Pradesh: 183 for 5 in 20 overs (Ekant Sen 38, Prashant Chopra 32, Rishi Dhawan 29; Mohammed Siraj 2/31, Chama Milind 1/27, Mehedi Hasan 1/30)
Hyderabad: 99 all out in 19 overs (Himalay Aggarwal 21, Ambati Rayudu 15; Rishi Dhawan 3/18, Ayush Jamwal 2/18, Mayank Dagar 2/24)