VHT: Mulani claims maiden five-for as Mumbai crush Chhattisgarh by 9 wickets

Jaipur, Dec 29 Left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Shams Mulani claimed his maiden List A five-wicket haul as Mumbai registered a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Chhattisgarh in their Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group C encounter at the Jaipuria Vidyalaya ground on Monday.

After electing to field first in helpful conditions, Mumbai skipper Shardul Thakur dismantled Chhattisgarh's top order by picking four wickets. The right-arm seamer struck twice in the opening over, leaving the opposition reeling at 9/3 inside five overs, before he added the scalps of Ashutosh Singh and Sanjeet Desai – both caught at slip by Sarfaraz Khan – to put Mumbai firmly in control.

Captain Amandeep Khare (50) and Ajay Mandal (46) staged a spirited fightback with a 105-run fifth-wicket stand to guide Chhattisgarh past the 100-run mark. Khare, who notched his third consecutive half-century of the tournament, played with composure before left-arm spinner Mulani broke the partnership by trapping Mandal lbw.

Once the partnership was severed, Mulani tightened his grip on the innings as Chhattisgarh's lower order crumbled. Musheer Khan claimed the prized wicket of Khare, and the tail folded meekly with the last five wickets tumbling for just 37 runs, as Chhattisgarh were eventually dismissed for 143.

Chasing a modest target, Mumbai made light work of it as Angkrish Raghuvanshi struck an unbeaten 68 off 66 balls, studded with six boundaries and two sixes. The youngster, who had been concussed while fielding two days earlier and needed medical clearance to play, anchored the chase with great maturity.

Veteran batter Siddhesh Lad provided able support with an unbeaten 48 off 42 deliveries as the pair added an unbroken 93-run stand for the second wicket. Despite losing debutant opener Ishan Mulchandani early to Harsh Yadav, Mumbai cruised home in just 24 overs.

Brief Scores: Chhattisgarh 142 all out in 38.1 overs (Amandeep Khare 63, Ajay Mandal 46; Shams Mulani 5-31, Shardul Thakur 4-31) lost to Mumbai 144/1 in 24 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 68 not out, Siddhesh Lad 48 not out; Harsh Yadav 1-44) by nine wickets

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