Kashi Rudras Lose UPT20 Opener on Final Ball

Kashi Rudras began their UPT20 title defence with the kind of defeat that lingers: a one-wicket loss decided on the final ball. Meerut Mavericks needed 19 from the last over with only one wicket standing, but Yash Garg turned a near-certain Kashi win into a remarkable chase at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.

Garg struck a four and a six from the first two balls of the final over. With seven required from the last two deliveries, he cleared the boundary again and then kept enough composure to take the winning single. His unbeaten 26 came from only 14 balls, completing an all-round performance after he had already taken 4 for 19. Meerut reached the 119-run target at the last possible moment.

Kashi had been held to 118 in 20 overs after Meerut captain Rinku Singh chose to field. Opener Abhishek Goswami gave the defending champions their strongest platform with 42 from 32 balls, but the middle order could not turn that start into a competitive total. Garg removed captain Karan Sharma, while leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari returned 3 for 19 and Vishal Chaudhary added 2 for 13. Garg’s four wickets also took his UPT20 career tally past 50.

Meerut’s pursuit was anything but controlled. Vaibhav Chaudhary dismissed the dangerous Swastik Chikara in the second over, and Kashi’s bowlers squeezed the chase to 47 for 4 after ten. Rinku Singh made 28 from 21 balls and Divyansh Rajput 26 from 24, their 36-run stand offering temporary stability before Kashi hit back.

Kartik Yadav removed Rinku and Sandeep Tomar in quick succession. Then Atal Bihari Vipin Rai dismissed Rajput and Zeeshan Ansari from consecutive deliveries, leaving the last pair with 19 to get. Rai’s 4 for 23 took him to 54 UPT20 wickets, the most in the competition’s history, but even that landmark could not close the match.

For Kashi, the immediate review will focus on two phases: a batting innings that never escaped 118, and the final over in which the fielding side could not defend 19 against the number ten. The bowling effort before that point was disciplined enough to win most low-scoring games. For Meerut, Garg’s nerve supplied the difference. He said afterwards that he simply wanted to take the match deep and trusted the hitting work he had put in.

One result does not define a season, but an opener this close exposes margins early. Kashi Rudras leave Lucknow with evidence that their attack remains dangerous—and a blunt reminder that a match is not finished until the final ball is safely completed.