Indore: Two stunning centuries lit up Holkar Stadium on Friday, but it was Ankush Singh who had the final say as Chambal Ghariyals chased down 205 to defeat Jabalpur Royal Lions by five wickets and book their place in the semi-finals of Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 Scindia Cup 2026.
The match produced a batting spectacle, with both openers reaching three figures. Jabalpur's Ajay Rohera continued his dream season, hammering an unbeaten 132 off just 63 balls, while Ankush responded with a match-winning 107 not out off 57 deliveries.
Jabalpur's Innings
Batting first, the Royal Lions posted 204/5 after Rohera dominated the innings from start to finish. The wicketkeeper-batter struck 10 sixes and seven fours while registering his second century of the tournament. After a 37-run opening stand with Mihir Hirwani (19), Rohera carried the innings through the middle overs and found support from captain Rahul Batham, who made 22 off 16 balls. Their 110-run partnership for the fifth wicket lifted Jabalpur beyond the 200-run mark.
For Chambal, Aman Bhadoriya impressed with figures of 2/18, while Sandeep Singh claimed three wickets.
Chambal's Chase
In reply, Chambal made a brisk start through Ankush and Harsh Dixit, who added 57 runs inside five overs. Dixit contributed 27 off 14 balls before departing. Ankush then combined with captain Shubham Sharma for a 65-run partnership that kept the chase firmly on track.
Despite losing wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs, the Ghariyals never lost momentum. Ankush remained unbeaten throughout, striking 13 fours and four sixes to guide the table-toppers home in the final over and extend their unbeaten run in the competition.
Second Match
In the day's second match, Bundelkhand Bulls posted 166 all out in 19.4 overs against Royal Nimar Eagles. Captain Abhishek Pathak and Shivang Kumar scored 31 runs each after the early dismissal of opener Kushagra Wadhwa.
In reply, Royal Nimar Eagles were 132/5 in 16 overs at the time of filing this report. Shivansh Chaturvedi scored a brisk 30 off 16 balls, while Saransh Jain and Abhishek Mavi were unbeaten on 30 and 31 respectively as the chase remained evenly poised.
