In reply, Jharkhand appeared to be cruising toward their tenth consecutive win as openers Ishan Kishan (35 off 18) and Virat Singh (77 off 40) stitched together an explosive 88-run stand in just 6.5 overs. However, the chase derailed once the partnership was broken, with Andhra’s bowlers chipping away at regular intervals. Nitish Reddy returned with the ball to claim 2-32, while Saurabh Kumar (2-21) applied the squeeze in the middle overs. Despite Virat Singh’s heroic knock, which included seven sixes, the lower order failed to keep up with the asking rate, leaving Jharkhand stranded on 194/8. Despite the loss, Jharkhand qualified for the final due to their superior net run rate.
