Captain Rinku Singh Finishes in Style as Meerut Mavericks Win DLS Thriller over Lucknow Falcons

Lucknow, UP T20 League 2026 – Match no 8 : Captain Rinku Singh produced a stunning display of power-hitting under immense pressure to steer the Meerut Mavericks to a thrilling 5-run DLS victory over Lucknow Falcons in Match 8 of Season 4 of the UP T20 League at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

The match was officially inaugurated by Shri Bablu Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Lucknow Commissionerate, who performed the traditional Bell Ringing Ceremony. The occasion was also attended by Governing Council Chairman Dr. Sanjay Kapoor, UPCA Media Committee Chairman Mohammad Faheem ji, Media Convener Ahmed Ali Khan Talib, UP T20 League Governing Council Member Sanjeev Kumar Singh, and Bahraich District Cricket Association Secretary Ishrat Kamal.

    After being asked to bat first, the Lucknow Falcons posted a competitive 183/6. Opener Mohammad Saif provided an attacking start with 45 off 32 balls, while Ajeet Verma anchored the innings with an impressive 53 off 37 deliveries, striking eight boundaries and a six. Late contributions from Satyam Pandey and Vipraj Nigam helped the Falcons finish strongly. For Meerut, Zeeshan Ansari and Vijay Kumar were the standout bowlers, taking two wickets each.

Chasing 184, the Mavericks were immediately put under pressure. Swastik Chikara began aggressively, hitting Bhuvneshwar for two consecutive boundaries, but the veteran pacer responded instantly by inducing an edge to the slip cordon on the following delivery. Abhinandan Singh then intensified the pressure, striking twice in the second over to remove Rituraj Sharma and Akshay Dubey, leaving Meerut struggling at 22/3.

Divyansh Joshi and Divyansh Rajput steadied the innings with a 52-run partnership, but both batters fell in quick succession shortly after the halfway stage. With Meerut needing 59 runs from the final five overs, captain Rinku Singh walked in and took control of the chase. Rinku immediately shifted the momentum, hammering 19 runs from Abhinandan Singh’s 15th over. As rain began to fall, the contest turned into a dramatic race against the DLS par score.

At 16.3 overs, Meerut were still one run short of the required DLS mark. Rinku responded with a towering six to put his side ahead. With the rain becoming increasingly heavy and a stoppage imminent, the captain launched an extraordinary assault. He smashed Navneet Kumar for 26 runs from just five deliveries in the 17th over, completely turning the game on its head. The remarkable burst lifted Meerut to 154/6 after 16.5 overs, five runs ahead of the DLS par score.

With the rain refusing to relent, the umpires were forced to take the players off the field. The match was subsequently abandoned, handing Meerut Mavericks a sensational five-run DLS victory. Rinku Singh remained unbeaten on a breathtaking 55 from just 24 balls, producing one of the most remarkable late-innings interventions of the tournament. His extraordinary knock earned him the Player of the Match award and secured a memorable victory for the Mavericks.