Ludhiana has secured a place in the knockout stage of the Punjab Inter-District U-19 Cricket Tournament for the Dhruv Pandove Trophy after topping Group D, even as their fourth and final league match against Barnala ended in a draw.
In their last match played at Trident cricket ground, Barnala, today, the visitors earned three valuable points to take their tally to 12 and emerge as the group toppers.
Replying to Ludhiana’s first innings total of 245 Barnala were shot out for 105 in 48.4 overs, conceding a lead of 140 runs. Navjotdeep Singh fought a lone battle with a gritty 33-run knock.
For Ludhiana, the bowling duo of Parveen Giri and Vansh Rana claimed four wickets apiece to put their team firmly in command.
Armed with a sizeable lead, Ludhiana accelerated in their second innings and posted 189 runs in 49.3 overs, setting Barnala an improbable target of 330 runs for victory.
The innings revolved around Jasdeep Singh and Ravtej Singh, who struck well-compiled 58 and 50 runs (not out), respectively.
For the hosts, Dravin Chanana was the pick of bowlers with a figure of 4 for 33, while Danyam Khrana chipped in with 3 for 50.
Faced with an uphill task and limited time remaining in the match, Barnala adopted a cautious approach and reached 44 for 1 in 14 overs before stumps were drawn, ensuring the contest ended in a draw.
The result, however, was enough for Ludhiana to collect three points and top the group D, booking a berth in the knockout phase of the tournament.
