Lucknow, Match No 16: The Meerut Mavericks became the first team to qualify for the playoffs of the UP T20 League 2026 season 4, after cruising to a commanding 10-wicket victory over the Gaur Gorakhpur Lions in Match 16 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Today at Ekana Stadium, while there was torrential rain on one side, Rinku Singh’s bat roared impressively—as it always does—on the other. Rain reduced the contest to 8-overs per side today evening.
UPCA Media Committee Chairman Mohammad Faheem ji conducted the toss and officially inaugurated the match with the traditional Bell Ringing Ceremony. The occasion was attended by UP T20 League Governing Council Chairman Dr. Sanjay Kapoor, Governing Council Member Sanjeev Kumar Singh, UPCA members Faisal Sherwani and Aziz Khan, and other dignitaries. Meerut captain Rinku Singh won the toss and chose to bowl as he wants to bowl first before. The Gaur Gorakhpur Lions made an explosive start, with Abhay Pratap Singh and Aryan racing to a 44-run opening partnership in just 3.3 overs. Abhay was particularly aggressive, taking 18 runs off Vijay Kumar in the opening over of the inning.
However, the introduction of Zeeshan Ansari completely changed the momentum. After dismissing Aryan Chaudhary, Ansari tore through the Lions’ middle order, finishing with outstanding figures of 4/10 from his 2 overs spell. Abhay Pratap Singh remained the standout batter for Gorakhpur, smashing 33 off just 16 balls. The innings also produced a record-breaking moment. In the final over, Meerut pacer Kartik Tyagi clocked a remarkable 154 kph delivery—the fastest ball recorded in the tournament’s history—to dismiss Prince Yadav. The Lions eventually finished on 91/6 from their eight overs. Chasing 92, the Meerut made a flying start through openers Swastik Chikara and Akshay Dubey, who scored 17 runs from the 1st over. Swastik continued the assault and helped the Mavericks cross the 50-run mark in just 4.1 overs.
Akshay was forced to retire hurt after sustaining an injury at 52/0 in the fifth over, bringing captain Rinku Singh to the crease promoting himself in batting order in this rain affected match. The skipper immediately turned the contest into a one-sided affair, smashing 28 runs in a single over from Vishal Nishad to leave Meerut needing only 8 runs from the final 12 deliveries. Swastik Chikara then completed the chase in style, finishing unbeaten on 44 off 24 balls. Rinku Singh provided the finishing flourish with an extraordinary 29 not out from just 7 deliveries.
The emphatic victory extended Meerut’s winning streak to 6 matches and confirmed their place in the playoffs of this season. The Mavericks remain the tournament’s only unbeaten side and continue to sit firmly at the top of the points table.
| Batters | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abhay Pratap Sing | 33 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 206.25 | |
| Aryan Chaudhary | 15 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 187.50 | |
| Siddarth Yadav | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 | |
| Aryan Juyal | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 275.00 | |
| Hardeep Singh | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 | |
| Parth Palawat | 9 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 128.57 | |
| Prince Yadav | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 | |
| Shivam Sharma | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 300.00 | |
| Extra | 8 (b 2, w 5, nb 0, lb 1) | |||||
| Total | 91/6 (8 ov) | |||||
| Bowlers | O | M | R | W | ECON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vijay Kumar | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 18.00 |
| Kartik Tyagi | 2 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 9.50 |
| Yash Garg | 2 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 12.00 |
| Zeeshan Ansari | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 5.00 |
| Vishal Chaudhary | 1 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 17.00 |
| Batters | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swastik Chhikara | 44 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 183.33 | |
| Akshay Dubey | 13 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 144.44 | |
| Rinku Singh | 29 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 414.29 | |
| Extra | 6 (b 0, w 2, nb 0, lb 4) | |||||
| Total | 92/0 (6.4 ov) | |||||
| Bowlers | O | M | R | W | ECON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vasu Vats | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17.00 |
| Vishal Kumar | 1.4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 10.20 |
| Shivam Sharma | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15.00 |
| Vishal Nishad | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 16.00 |
| Teerath Singh | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7.00 |
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