Chandigarh, A scintillating century by Markanday Panchal powered Chandigarh to a commanding 38-run victory over Karnataka in their Vinoo Mankad Trophy encounter at the Maharana Pratap College Ground, Dehradun on Saturday. Panchal’s unbeaten 109 off 97 deliveries set the tone for Chandigarh’s total of 282/6 in stipulated 50 overs.
Opting to bat first, Chandigarh began cautiously after losing Daksh Kashyap (3) early. Balraj Singh (52) and Gaganpreet Singh (22) steadied the innings before Panchal took charge. His innings featured 13 boundaries and two sixes. Panchal found an able partner in Meet Dahiya (51 off 66), as the duo stitched a crucial 128-run partnership for the fourth wicket lifted UT boys to an impressive 282/6.
In reply, Karnataka’s chase was anchored by opener Manikanth Shivanand (64 off 60) and captain Anvay Dravid (63 off 75), who looked solid in the middle overs. The duo added 114 runs for the third wicket, briefly putting Chandigarh under pressure. Later, Ritik Sandhu (2/58) broke the partnership by removing Shivanand, the Chandigarh bowlers regained control.
All-rounder Bikram Singh Sangha turned the game decisively in Chandigarh’s favor with a devastating spell of 5/29 in 6.5 overs demolishing through Karnataka’s middle and lower order. His wickets included Dravid, the son of former test player Rahul Dravid. Yuvraj Singh and Mohd Zaid also shared one wicket each to bundle out Karnataka for 244 in 45.5 overs.
