Pune, Dec 12 (LatestNewsX) – At the DY Patil Academy, Madhya Pradesh pulled off a spirited comeback in the opening match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League. Seam-bowling all‑rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had joined Andhra after stints in India’s Test and ODI squads against South Africa, had early promise with a hat‑trick that lifted Andhra to 14/3. But MP steadied itself and chased 113, clinching the win by four wickets.
Reddy’s hat‑trick came in the third over, when he dismissed Harsh Gawli, Harpreet Bhatia and Rajat Patidar in quick succession. A few deliveries later, Venkatesh Iyer’s wicket left the Madhya Pradesh side floundering at 37 for 4.
The momentum swung with a composed 73‑run partnership for the fifth wicket between Rishabh Chouhan and Rahul Batham. Chouhan contributed 47 off 43 balls, while Batham stayed unbeaten on 35 from 32 deliveries, steering Madhya Pradesh to 113 for 6 with 15 balls to spare. The match saw six crucial points added to MP’s tally.
Earlier in the innings, Reddy had also added 50 runs with wicket‑keeper batter KS Bharat after Andhra found themselves 7 for 2. Bharat’s 39 topped the scorecard before falling to Venkatesh Iyer, sparking a collapse that saw Andhra lose eight wickets for 55 runs and be bowled out for 112 in 19.1 overs.
Shivam Shukla claimed 4 wickets for 23 runs and Tripuresh Singh took 3 for 31. Batham also chipped in with two wickets. Four Andhra batters were dismissed without scoring.
Andhra’s next fixture will be against Punjab, while Madhya Pradesh are set to face Jharkhand on December 14.
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