Harnandi Gladiators Thrash Royals by 83 Runs in Semi-Final

GBT20 League: Harnandi Gladiators Thrash Royals by 83 Runs in Semi-Final

Semifinal 2: The second semi-final of the tournament turned out to be one-sided as Harnandi Gladiators produced a powerful all-round performance to defeat Rajendra Nagar Royals by 83 runs and secure their place in the grand final.

Gladiators’ batters went all out from the start, piling up a massive total of 265 runs in 20 overs, before their bowlers kept things under control to seal a comfortable win.

Harnandi Gladiators’ Innings

Harnandi Gladiators came in with intent, and their batting lineup delivered fireworks right from the beginning. Ankur Kaushik played a quickfire knock of 40 off just 20 balls, giving his side the early momentum. Though Naman Sharma departed early for 9, the stage was perfectly set for the middle order.

Akash Tomar joined the party with a brilliant 61 from 33 balls, smashing four fours and five sixes, while Dinesh Kumar added to the pressure with a hard-hitting 55 off 28 balls. But the real star of the innings was Puneet Mehra, who remained unbeaten on 70 off only 29 deliveries. His innings was full of clean hitting, including three boundaries and seven massive sixes, lifting the Gladiators to an enormous score.

Towards the end, Ankit Choudhary chipped in with a blistering cameo of 19 off 6 balls to push the score past the 260-mark. By the time the innings ended, the Gladiators had set a mammoth 265/5 in 20 overs, leaving the Royals with a mountain to climb.

Rajendra Nagar Royals’ Chase

Chasing such a huge target, the Royals needed an extraordinary effort, but the pressure of the scoreboard kept building. Abhijeet Sharma looked promising with a well-constructed 57 off 32 balls, and Harshit Sethi also tried his best with a strong knock of 53 off 33 balls. Together, they gave the Royals a fighting chance for some time.

However, regular wickets kept breaking their momentum. After the dismissals of Hitesh Sharma (35 off 23) and Abhijeet in quick succession, the chase slipped away. The middle order collapsed under pressure, with only brief cameos from the lower order. In the end, the Royals could only manage 182/8 in their 20 overs, falling well short of the target.

Result

Harnandi Gladiators won by 83 runs and booked their spot in the final. It was a complete team performance with explosive batting backed by smart bowling.