Delhi suffered a five-wicket defeat at the hands of Services in their final North Zone leg match to slump to their first loss in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy here today.
Opting to bat, Delhi, who had already qualified for the knockout phase of the tournament to be held at Ranchi, could only manage 110 for seven in their 20 overs.
Delhi's decision to bat first backfired as only three of its batsmen managed double digit scores. Opener Unmukt Chand top-scored with a 51-ball 56, while Manan Sharma and skipper Punit Bisht made 20 and 13 respectively.
For Services, medium pacer Sumit Singh (3/15) picked up three wickets while left-arm spinner Avishek Sinha (2/13) accounted for two Delhi batsmen.
Chasing the paltry total, Services rode on Yashpal Singh's 46 and useful contributions from Nakul Verma (26) and skipper Rajat Paliwal (23 not out) to overwhelm the target with five balls to spare.
Medium pacer Shelley Shaurya picked up two wickets for Delhi.
Delhi (16 points) qualified for the knockout phase as leaders from the North Zone leg. Apart from Delhi, Punjab also made it to the next round by virtue of a better run rate after finishing tied at 12 points with Haryana and Services.
Brief Scores:
Delhi: 110 for seven in 20 overs (Unmukt Chand 56, Manan Sharma 20; Sumit Singh 3/15).
Services: 111 for five in 19.1 overs (Yashpal Singh 46, Nakul Verma 26; Shelley Shaurya 2/2).
