Lucknow: Tamil Nadu on Tuesday beat Punjab by seven goals in their final elite match ‘A’ to book a bed in the knockout phase of the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament.
Maharashtra, who beat Goa in 73 runs in another match, also qualifies from the group as the second team placed.
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra record four won each to complete with 16 points but the first to take the top position on the basis of beating Ruturaj Gaikwad & Co.
in their meetings.
While TN will be eligible for the quarter-finals as a group topper, Maharashtra will display in pre-quarter-finals who qualify as the second place team.
Skipper Vijay Shankar hammered 40-ball 59 did not come out (3×4, 4×6) while n jagousesan 67 (47 balls, 6×4, 3×6) also found a form like Tamil Nadu overhauled the target 146 at 17.1 overs.
Previously, Punjab Skipper Mandeep Singh was chosen for bats and was limited to 145 to 6 in 20 overs with only Shubman Gill Openers (34, 30 balls, 5×4) and Gurkeanat Singh Mann (43, 30 balls, 2×4, 2×6) made a significant contribution.
For Tamil Nadu, Medium-Pacer Sandeep Warrier is the Best Bowler with 2 for 20, while Spinners R Sai Kishore (1/20) and B Aparajith (1/18) and Seamer T Natarajan (1/4) is another goal taker.
In the Maharashtra-Goa match, Gaikwad spent half a century, fell for 44 while the opening Yash Nahar reached tons (103 did not come out, 68 balls, 6 four, 3 sixers) to help the team reach 177 for 3 of 20 overs.
In return, Goa was never in hunting when the Bowler Maharashtra continued to be striking at regular intervals with the Satyajit Bachhav (3 for 27) spinner to do most of the damage.
Breast Scores: Maharashtra 177 for 3 in 20 Overs (Yash Nahar 103 Not Out, Ruturaj Gaikwad 44) Defeat Goa 104 at Overs 18.1 (Shubham Ranjane 35, SS Bachhav 3/27, M G Choudhary 2/16) by 73 Runs.
Maharashtra: 4 points, Goa: 0.
Punjab 145 for 6 in 20 Overs (Gurkeanerate Singh Mann 43 Not Out, Shubman Gill 34, Sandeep Warrier 2/20) Losing Tamil Nadu 148 for 3 in 17.1 Overs (n Jagousesan 67, Vijay Shankar 59 did not come out) by seven goals.
TN: 4 Points, Punjab: 0.
Odisha 132 for 7 in 20 Overs (Subhranshu Senapati 39, Suboth Bhati 4/27, Bharat Sharma 2/19) Lose to Pondicherry 136 for 4 in 19 Overs (Paras Dogra 54 Not Exit, R Ragupati 39) by six goals.
Pondicherry: 4 points, Odisha: 0.
Syed Mushtaq Ali: TN Beat Punjab by 7 Wickets, qualified for the knockout phase
