Former Indian batter Shikhar Dhawan delivered a dominant performance for Northern Challengers. He smashed a fiery half-century in the Big Cricket League 2024 opening match against Southern Spartans at Lalbhai Contractor Stadium in Surat on December 12. Vishal Prasad scored 13 runs and Rajat Singh managed only 18 runs while chasing a 204-run target. However, Dhawan showed exceptional form. He reached his fifty in just 23 balls. Dhawan finished with 86 runs from 43 balls. His innings included four boundaries and eight sixes.
Gurkeerat Singh Mann played a crucial cameo. He scored 31 runs off 14 balls with four boundaries and a six. Bipul Sharma contributed 33 not out from 19 balls. Samiullah Shinwari remained unbeaten with nine runs. These performances helped Northern Challengers secure a six-wicket win with eight balls remaining. Southern Spartans batted first and managed 203 runs in 20 overs. The team had a shaky start after losing Faiz Fazal for nine runs off 11 balls to Anureet Singh. Solomon Mire contributed 47 runs from 28 balls. He formed a 44-run partnership with wicketkeeper-batter Shrestha for the second wicket.
Big Cricket League 2024: Southern Spartans vs Northern Challengers Highlights
Suresh Raina then came in at number four and formed an 85-run partnership with Shrestha. Raina fell just short of a half-century. He was run out by Bipul Sharma after scoring 49 runs off 27 balls. Shrestha added 36 runs from 33 balls. In the final overs, Aman Khan remained unbeaten with 29 runs off nine balls. Abhimanyu Mithun contributed 27 not out from 12 balls. These efforts helped Southern Spartans post a competitive total of 203 runs.
