Chandigarh’s left-arm spinner Nishunk Birla took center stage in their Ranji Trophy clash against Delhi, securing his second six-wicket haul of the match to place his team on the brink of victory. On Friday, Birla’s exceptional bowling figures of 6 for 65 in Delhi’s second innings — leading to an impressive match haul of 12 for 138 — ensured that Chandigarh requires only 203 runs for an easy target. By the close of the third day, Chandigarh had already made progress with 46 for no loss.
For Delhi, the innings relied heavily on opener Sanat Sangwan, who scored 70, and young batter Yash Dhull, who added 58 following his first-innings century. However, Delhi struggled to produce consistent performances from the rest of their lineup, which failed to capitalize on the 48-run lead they had established in the first innings. At one point, Delhi looked strong at 138 for 1, with a promising 96-run stand between Sangwan and Dhull, but once Gurinder dismissed both set batters, Birla swiftly dismantled the middle and lower order.
The final day will be crucial for Delhi’s spin trio — Hrithik Shokeen, Shivank Vashist, and Sumit Mathur — as they aim to make inroads into Chandigarh’s batting lineup to prevent a comprehensive defeat. Chandigarh is poised to claim six points with a potential win, which would further solidify their standing at the top of the table with 19 points.
Anuj Rawat and Ayush Badoni, more accustomed to T20 and IPL formats, struggled to make an impact, as did Delhi’s captain Himmat Singh, who has not contributed a decisive innings in recent games. The only late boost for Delhi came from Shokeen, whose quick-fire 33, featuring four sixes, helped set Chandigarh a target just above 200.
Brief Scores
Chandigarh: 324 and 46/0 (second innings)
Delhi: 276 and 250
Other Matches
In Guwahati: Tamil Nadu 338 and 8/0 (second innings), Assam 445 (first innings).
In Raipur: Chhattisgarh 500/9 declared, Railways 323/3 (first innings).
In Ranchi: Jharkhand 306 and 74/1 (second innings), Saurashtra 386 (first innings).
