TIL Desk Lucknow:👉Rinku Singh's Meerut Mavericks registered back-to-back victories by defeating the Gaur Gorakhpur Lions by 36 runs in Match 5 of the UP T20 League Season 4 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana International Cricket Stadium. Defending a season-high total of 206, the Mavericks became the first team this season to secure a win while batting first, wrapping up the match with a sensational diving catch by skipper Rinku Singh on the final delivery.

The high-octane clash was officially inaugurated by the Honorable Minister of Food, Logistics, and Civil Supplies for the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Manoj Pandey, who conducted the toss and performed the traditional Bell Ringing Ceremony. He was joined by esteemed dignitaries, including UP T20 League Governing Council Chairman Dr. Sanjay Kapoor, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) Secretary Prem Manohar Gupta, Governing Council Member Sanjeev Kumar Singh, and former Indian fast bowler Praveen Kumar.

Speaking on the occasion, Manoj Pandey praised the initiative, stating: "The enthusiasm for cricket in Uttar Pradesh is a matter of immense pride. The UP T20 League gives our youth a grand stage to showcase their talent, boosting their confidence and creating better opportunities for their future." Dr. Sanjay Kapoor echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the tournament's core vision: "The UP T20 League continues to grow, and the crowd's excitement this season is tremendous.

Our endeavor remains to provide a solid platform where Uttar Pradesh's cricketers can shine purely through their hard work and capabilities." After Gaur Gorakhpur Lions skipper Aryan Juyal won the toss and opted to bowl, Meerut openers Swastik Chikara and Rituraj Sharma unleashed an immediate assault. The duo brought up a 50-run stand in just 4.2 overs, finishing the powerplay at a commanding 69/0. The 86-run opening partnership was eventually broken in the ninth over when Nishant Thakur dismissed Rituraj Sharma for a well-made 44 off 30 balls.

Swastik Chikara, however, continued his relentless stroke play, bringing up his half-century in just 29 deliveries - his 11th fifty in UP T20 League history to go alongside his four centuries. Finding capable support in Akshay Dubey (29), the pair stitched together a crucial 62-run stand. The Lions briefly fought back in the 16th over as Rahul Sharma struck twice, removing Dubey and Divyansh Joshi (0). Joined by skipper Rinku Singh, Chikara continued to rewrite the record books, breaching the 100-sixes milestone in tournament history to become only the second player after Sameer Rizvi to achieve the feat. Chikara eventually fell in the 18th over to Teerath Singh after a blistering 82 off 45 balls, studded with nine boundaries and four massive sixes.

A late cameo from Rinku Singh (25 off 12 balls) and Divyansh Rajput propelled Meerut to 206/6 - the highest team total of Season 4. Faced with a mountain to climb, the Gaur Gorakhpur Lions' run chase never quite found its rhythm. Losing wickets at regular intervals, they slumped to 56/5 inside the first 10 overs. Siddharth Yadav attempted a fierce counter-attack, smashing a 22-ball 40 that included taking 19 runs off Zeeshan Ansari in the 12th over. Yadav and Nishant Kushwah built a resilient 47-run stand before Ansari exacted his revenge, dismissing Yadav in the 15th over. While Shivam Sharma came out all guns blazing, hitting three consecutive boundaries off Kunal Yadav in the 16th over, Kunal held his nerve to dismiss Kushwah, securing his third wicket of the night. The match briefly flared back to life in the 18th over when Nishant Thakur clobbered four consecutive sixes off Vishal Chaudhary.

However, express pacer Kartik Tyagi immediately shut down the late surge, cleaning up Thakur with a blistering 143 kph yorker to finish with highly impressive figures of 2/18 in his four overs. The clinical bowling performance was capped off in spectacular fashion on the very last ball of the match when skipper Rinku Singh took an absolute blinder in the field, officially securing the 36-run win for the Mavericks. Expressing his delight over the victory and the aggressive start provided by his openers, Meerut Mavericks captain Rinku Singh said: "Yes, I’m very happy because we got off to a really good start with the bat today as well. If you score around 70 runs in the first six overs, that’s a very good start. When you get a good start, you can play with clear intent, and then everything starts falling into place. Like today, Chikara showed great intent, and Rituraj also showed intent. So, everything worked well for us on the field today.”