Punjab captain Abhishek Sharma destroyed Meghalaya's bowling attack with a sensational power hitting in their final Group A match of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024 tournament in Rajkot on Thursday (December 5, 2024). (More Cricket News)
On a day Baroda posted the highest-ever T20 total, 349/5 against Sikkim in their Group B match in Indore for a 263-run win, the 24-year-old made a mockery of a 143-run target by hitting eight fours and 11 sixes.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad player in the Indian Premier League reached his ton in 28 balls and equalled Gujarat star Urvil Patel's feat, achieved earlier in this tournament, against Tripura in Indore.
The previous record for the fastest century in India's domestic T20 competition was held by Rishabh Pant, a 32-ball hundred against Himachal Pradesh in 2018.
After restricting Meghalaya to 142/7 in 20 overs, the defending champions chased down the target in 9.3 overs with skipper Sharma unbeaten on 106 off 29 for a seven-wicket win.
The win, however, might not be enough for Punjab to make the knock-outs as three teams -- Rajasthan, Bengal and Madhya Pradesh -- have already accumulated 20 points from the six matches each with a greater Net Run Rate.
Punjab's campaign ended with 20 points with an NRR of +1.570. They beat Bihar, Hyderabad, Rajasthan and Meghalaya, and won a Super Over against Mizoram. The defeats against Bengal and Madhya Pradesh did the damage.
