Mhatre’s First T20 Century Powers Mumbai to Convincing Victory Over Vidarbha

At just 18, Ayush Mhatre (110 not out, 53 balls, 8 fours, 8 sixes) demonstrated a remarkable sense of timing. Under the watchful eyes of national selector RP Singh at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B in Lucknow, Mhatre delivered a spectacular maiden T20 century in only 49 balls, leading defending champions Mumbai to a seven-wicket victory over Vidarbha in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Friday was a memorable day for Mhatre. In the morning, he was appointed captain of the Indian Under-19 team for the Asia Cup, and later on, he spearheaded Mumbai’s chase of Vidarbha’s challenging 192-run target with immense authority, overshadowing established stars like Ajinkya Rahane and Suryakumar Yadav.

Mhatre surpassed his previous best score of 94 with back-to-back sixes over long-on, and he completed his century with another six off India pacer Umesh Yadav. The adrenaline of achieving his maiden century didn’t hinder Mhatre’s performance; he continued to target long-on, sending the ball over that area for six of his eight maximums.

Despite insistences from the support staff to play the full 20 overs and ensure victory, Mhatre, alongside Shivam Dube (39 off 19 balls), accomplished the task in just 17.5 overs. Dube especially excelled against spin, punishing Parth Rekhade in the 15th over with three sixes over deep midwicket.

Luck was on Mhatre’s side as he was dropped on 66. He started Mumbai’s innings with a four over slips and narrowly avoided being caught at mid-off. A six over long-on off Darshan Nalkande in the second over set the tone for the aggressive chase.

Mhatre took full advantage of veteran Umesh Yadav, scoring 43 off 16 balls against him. He displayed a range of strokes, cutting and pulling with precision, and wasn’t deterred by Rahane’s early dismissal. When Suryakumar was caught at deep square-leg, Mumbai still needed over 80 runs, but Mhatre and Dube kept the chase solidly on track.

Vidarbha’s promising start, with openers Atharva Taide and Aman Mokhade adding 115 runs within 10 overs, could have posed a greater threat had they sustained momentum. Mokhade’s aggressive start saw Vidarbha finish the PowerPlay with 79 runs. However, left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar’s two quick wickets curtailed their progress, as Vidarbha eventually settled for 192/9.

Mumbai’s seamers Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande struggled early on, but all-rounders Sairaj Patil and Shivam Dube made a significant impact. They took advantage of the pitch conditions with short balls and slower deliveries, sharing six wickets between them, causing Vidarbha’s batting to collapse, ending with a total that Mumbai surpassed with ease.

In another match at the same venue, Kerala’s chase against Railways was inconsistent, ending in a 32-run defeat. The Kerala batsmen struggled with cross-batted shots, unraveling after Sanju Samson fell for 43. Meanwhile, Andhra saw their batters and bowlers collaborate effectively to defeat Odisha by 66 runs. The top three Andhra batsmen contributed significantly while the bowlers each claimed at least one wicket, securing their second consecutive win.

Scores:

• Railways 149/7 in 20 overs (Navneet Virk 32, KM Asif 3/27) defeated Kerala 117/8 (Atal Bihari Rai 3/23). Toss: Kerala.
• Andhra 184/7 in 20 overs (KS Bharat 42, Ashwin Hebbar 39, Ricky Bhui 47, Biplab Samantaray 3/20) defeated Odisha 118 in 17.2 overs (Prithvi Raj Yarra 3/4, Saurabh Kumar 3/23). Toss: Odisha.
• Vidarbha 192/9 in 20 overs (Atharva Taide 64, Aman Mokhade 61, Shivam Dube 3/31, Sairaj Patil 3/33) lost to Mumbai 194/3 in 17.5 overs (Ayush Mhatre 110 not out, Suryakumar Yadav 35, Shivam Dube 39 not out). Toss: Mumbai.
• Assam 167/9 in 20 overs (Sumit Ghadigaonkar 79, Pradyun Saikia 37) overcame Chhattisgarh 119 in 17.1 overs (Amandeep Khare 46, Shashank Chandrakar 30, Mukhtar Hussain 6/20). Toss: Chhattisgarh.

Published on November 28, 2025.