Kanpur, Match No. 26 : Lucknow Falcons secured their place in the playoffs of the UP T20 League season 4 with a hard-fought 24-run victory over Gaur Gorakhpur Lions in Match 26 at the historic Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. The win was Lucknow’s 5th in nine matches, making them the second team after Meerut Mavericks to seal a place in the knockout stages. Speaking after the match, a delighted Falcons captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar said qualification was the team’s first major objective. “It was a very important win for us to qualify. The first aim of the team has been achieved,” Bhuvneshwar said. However, qualification looked far from certain when Lucknow were reduced to 51/4 in 8.4 overs after choosing to bat first. Gorakhpur captain Shivam Sharma led the charge with the ball, producing a superb spell of 2/12 in three overs, including a maiden. Bhuvneshwar admitted that the Falcons were forced to significantly lower their expectations during the innings.
“It was very satisfying because we didn’t really get the start we wanted,” he said. “During the 10-over break, our honest aim was to reach around 100 runs by the 15th over and add another 40 to 50 runs in the final five. Sitting in the dressing room, we thought even 130 to 140 would be a fighting total.” Just when Lucknow appeared to be in trouble, Ajeet Verma and Kritagya Singh turned the innings around with a sensational 109-run partnership off only 64 deliveries. Verma remained unbeaten on 75 off 45 balls, smashing eight boundaries and three sixes, while Singh contributed a valuable 44 off 31 deliveries. Their partnership propelled the Falcons to 170/5 in their 20 overs.
“The maturity shown by Ajeet and Kritagya was excellent,” Bhuvneshwar said. “That partnership was something we had been lacking in the tournament so far. The way we batted, we did much better than what we had expected. That partnership is the reason we are in this winning position today.” The skipper was particularly impressed by Verma, whose consistent performances have earned him a regular place in the playing XI. “He has made a massive impact. His batting has been so impressive that we had to bring him into the playing XI. It shows that when a youngster performs well, the entire team benefits,” Bhuvneshwar added. Gorakhpur’s chase got off to a disastrous start as Abhinandan Singh struck early, removing openers Abhay Pratap Singh and Aryan Chaudhary. Akshu Bajwa then claimed two wickets, while Vipraj Nigam chipped in with one as the Lions slipped to 70/5 in 10.3 overs.
Prince Yadav and Parth Palawat, however, refused to give up. The pair put together a 56-run partnership from 40 balls to give Gorakhpur renewed hope. Yadav scored 49 off 36 deliveries, keeping the Lions in contention as they entered the final stages of the chase. With 45 runs required from the last 18 balls, Bhuvneshwar handed the ball to Abhinandan for the crucial 18th over. The decision paid immediate dividends. Abhinandan dismissed the dangerous Yadav with the very first delivery, before a run-out on the fourth ball ended Palawat’s resistance. He completed a match-winning spell of 3/32. Bhuvneshwar then produced a crucial breakthrough of his own, dismissing Gorakhpur skipper Shivam Sharma in the penultimate over. Nigam subsequently cleaned up the tail in the final over, finishing with impressive figures of 3/17 as the Lions were bowled out for 146. “Combined with the way we bowled, it was a very complete performance from us,” Bhuvneshwar concluded.
With their playoff berth now secured, Lucknow Falcons will look to carry their momentum into the business end of the UP T20 League.
| Batters | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Saif | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 | |
| Himanshu Singh | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 120.00 | |
| Aaradhya Yadav | 13 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 144.44 | |
| Ajeet Verma | 75 | 45 | 8 | 3 | 166.67 | |
| Priyam Garg | 13 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 68.42 | |
| Kritagya Singh | 44 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 141.94 | |
| Vipraj Nigam | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 233.33 | |
| Extra | 8 (b 0, w 8, nb 0, lb 0) | |||||
| Total | 170/5 (20 ov) | |||||
| Bowlers | O | M | R | W | ECON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vasu Vats | 4 | 0 | 45 | 1 | 11.25 |
| Rahul Sharma | 3 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 10.67 |
| Shivam Sharma | 3 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 4.00 |
| Vishal Nishad | 4 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 7.75 |
| Nishant Thakur | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 9.00 |
| Prince Yadav | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 8.00 |
| Batters | R | B | 4S | 6S | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abhay Pratap Sing | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 | |
| Aryan Chaudhary | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 66.67 | |
| Shivam Chaudhary | 23 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 176.92 | |
| Siddarth Yadav | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 | |
| Prince Yadav | 49 | 36 | 1 | 5 | 136.11 | |
| Nishant Kushwaha | 15 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 83.33 | |
| Parth Palawat | 19 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 79.17 | |
| Shivam Sharma | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 116.67 | |
| Nishant Thakur | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 150.00 | |
| Vasu Vats | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 80.00 | |
| Rahul Sharma | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | |
| Extra | 15 (b 5, w 4, nb 0, lb 6) | |||||
| Total | 146/10 (20 ov) | |||||
| Bowlers | O | M | R | W | ECON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 8.00 |
| Abhinandan Singh | 4 | 0 | 32 | 3 | 8.00 |
| Akshu Bajwa | 3 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 3.00 |
| Krishn Kumar Saroj | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 5.50 |
| Vikash | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 7.50 |
| Vipraj Nigam | 4 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 4.25 |
| Ajeet Verma | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 19.00 |
More Stories
Shiva Singh Hat-Trick Seals Playoff Berth for Noida Kings; Meerut Mavericks taste their First Loss in UPT20 2026 (DLS method)
UP T20 League 2026: Second Phase to Begin at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium, immense excitement among cricket fans.
UPT20 2026: Meerut Mavericks Storm into Playoffs with Dominant 10-Wicket Win Over Gaur Gorakhpur Lions, Rinku Singh became game Changer again.