IVPL 2004: Mumbai Champions crush Red Carpet Delhi by 60 runs to reach final

Greater Noida (U.P), March 2 (IANS) A combined batting effort followed by some tight bowling performances helped Mumbai Champions defeat Red Carpet Delhi by 60 runs in the first semifinal of the Indian Veteran Premier League (IVPL) at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex here on Saturday.

Phil Mustard (73 off 34 balls), Nirwan Atri (56 off 27 balls) and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (51 off 29 balls) all smashed fifties as Mumbai Champions scored 253/3 in the allotted 20 overs.

Chasing a mammoth total, Red Carpet Delhi faltered badly and were restricted to 193/8. Mustard was named -as the Player of the Match. With this win, Mumbai Champions have qualified for the final of the IVPL. The final will be played on Sunday at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex here in Greater Noida.

Put into bat first, Mumbai Champions got off to a brilliant start in the semifinal, scoring 105 inside the first 10 overs. The side lost the first wicket for 105. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, who came into bat, continued the run-scoring. Jhunjhunwala, Peter Trego, and Rajat Singh (43 runs in 15 balls), all played the part as Mumbai Champions reached 253/3 in the allotted 20 overs.

In response, Red Carpet Delhi suffered a major blow as star opening batter Richard Levi got run out in the very first over. Levi ran for a run but a big mixup in the middle resulted in his dismissal. From there on Red Carpet Delhi never really recovered as Farman Ahmed, Asela Gunaratne and Thisara Perera all departed cheaply. Ashley Nurse tried to revive some hopes but was dismissed after scoring 30 runs in 16 balls. In the end, Red Carpet Delhi only managed 193/8 in 20 overs.

In the second semifinal, VVIP Uttar Pradesh will face Chhattisgarh Warriors. While VVIP Uttar Pradesh finished at the second spot, Chhattisgarh was at the third position in the League stage. The last time, these two teams met in the IVPL, VVIP Uttar Pradesh beat Chhattisgarh Warriors by 16 runs. The final showdown is slated for Sunday here at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida.

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