Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra): India all-rounder Hardik Pandya made a triumphant return to competitive cricket on Monday for the first time since the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 with a match-winning spell for Reliance 1 in the 18th edition of D Y Patil T20 Cup 2024 at the DY Patil Stadium here.
Hardik led from the front as he picked up two 22 as Reliance 1 restricted BPCL to 126 in 18.3 overs after opting to field. The other wicket-takers for Reliance were Dev Lakra (3-31) and Piyush Chawla (3-15). Anukul Roy was the top-scorer for BPCL with an unbeaten 30. In their response Reliance was well served by a 51 run opening stand between Naman Dhir and Nehal Wadhera (50: 32b, 11x4), a media release issued here stated.
There was a middle-order collapse as Reliance slipped from 87 for one to 113 for eight. Pandya held himself back in the order and came into bat late after the fall of the eighth wicket. Pandya and Chawla then teamed up to lead Reliance to a hard-fought two wicket win.
Hardik was injured during India's 2023 ICC ODI World Cup game against Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Since then Hardik was undergoing rehabilitation.
In the other game at the University Ground, Income Tax beat Bank of Baroda by 40 runs. The hero for Income Tax was Anuj Rawat (116 not out off 57 balls, 14x4, 6x6). Rawat shared crucial stands with several batters to lead Income Tax to 238 for four in their 20 overs. For Bank of Baroda their skipper Krishnappa Gowtham (2-47) was the most successful bowler. In their response Bank of Baroda lost wickets at regular intervals. They never got going and in the end fell 40 runs short of the target. For Income Tax the best bowlers were Ishan Porel (2-22) and Lalit Yadav (2-45).
