Muktsar posted a commanding total of 302 runs and ended Saturday with an advantage in their quarter-final clash against Ludhiana in the Punjab U-19 Inter-District Cricket Tournament for the Dhruv Pandove Trophy.
The two teams are facing off at the Dhruv Pandove Stadium in Patiala. After winning the toss and electing to bat, Muktsar built their innings around valuable contributions from Nigam Bansal (60), Guekambeer Singh (59), Rupesh (46), and Gurasees Singh (44). The middle order ensured Muktsar crossed the 300-run mark despite regular breakthroughs by Ludhiana bowlers.
Earlier, Muktsar were reduced to 73 for 3, but crucial partnerships in the middle and lower order helped them recover and post a strong total. Vansh Rana was the pick of Ludhiana bowlers with impressive figures of three for 68 in 25 overs. Mankaranvir Singh and Rupam Kar claimed two wickets apiece. Yuvraj Pal, Parveen Giri, and Aashish Kumar chipped in with a wicket each.
In reply, Ludhiana made a cautious start and were 10 without loss in three overs on the close of play. Openers Karandeep Singh Sidhu (6) and Kanav Singla (4) carried their bats. With 292 runs still required to avoid a first-innings deficit, Ludhiana will need a substantial batting effort on Sunday to counter Muktsar's strong position in the match.
