Jalandhar Warriors Triumph Over Bathinda Royals in Nail-Biting Finish
Thrilling Encounter at Sher-e-Punjab T20 League
Mohali (Punjab) - In a gripping conclusion to the match, Jalandhar Warriors narrowly defeated Bathinda Royals by three runs during the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League 2026 at IS Bindra Stadium.
The Warriors set a formidable target of 205 runs in 19.3 overs, with their captain and wicketkeeper-batter, Prabhsimran Singh, once again showcasing his batting prowess. He achieved his second consecutive century in the tournament, significantly boosting his team's chances.
Despite a rocky start that saw them at 62/3, Prabhsimran partnered with Aryan Yadav to stabilize the innings. Together, they forged a crucial 118-run partnership for the fourth wicket, revitalizing Jalandhar's momentum.
Aryan contributed an explosive 39 runs off just 19 balls before his dismissal. Prabhsimran continued to shine, reaching another remarkable century, but the team faced challenges as wickets fell at regular intervals.
Ashwani Kumar emerged as Bathinda's star bowler, not only limiting Jalandhar's score but also making history by claiming the tournament's first hat-trick. He achieved this by dismissing Sukhdeep Bajwa on the last ball of the 17th over and then taking out Prabhsimran and Randeep Singh with the first two deliveries of the 19th over, finishing with impressive figures of 4/35.
In pursuit of 206 runs, Bathinda Royals started steadily, with openers Rishabh Gupta and Harnoor Singh putting together 48 runs for the first wicket. Jalandhar's Gurvinder Bhullar broke the partnership by dismissing Rishabh for 17 runs.
Harnoor kept the chase alive with a solid 44 runs off 29 balls before captain Uday Saharan took over, scoring a brilliant half-century and keeping Bathinda in contention.
Saharan received valuable support from Shahbaz Sandhu, who played aggressively, putting pressure on Jalandhar's bowlers, although the required run rate was climbing.
Jalandhar executed a superb penultimate over, leaving Bathinda needing 18 runs from the final six balls. The pressure mounted when Randeep Singh bowled Sandhu on the first ball of the last over; Sandhu had scored 26 runs off 13 balls.
Refusing to back down, Saharan hit a six and a four in consecutive deliveries, reducing the target to just six runs from the last two balls.
However, Randeep delivered a pivotal moment by trapping Saharan in front of the stumps on the second-to-last delivery, ending his innings at 86 runs off 43 balls. With Bathinda needing six runs from the final ball, the tension was palpable.
Randeep bowled a wide, leaving Bathinda with one legal delivery to score five runs. Ashwini managed only two runs off the last ball, allowing Jalandhar Warriors to maintain their composure and secure a thrilling three-run victory.