Punjab Kings' underused pacer takes 5/16 to stun Sanju Samson's Kerala, registers career-best spell

Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur wreaked havoc with an economical five-wicket haul as they beat Sanju Samson's Kerala by six wickets in Lucknow in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 Elite Group A clash. Thakur's T20 career-best bowling helped bowl out Kerala for 164 despite fifties from in-form opener Rohan Kunnummal and Vishnu Vinod. In the run chase, Atharva Taide scored a fifty and cameo from wicketkeeper-batter Shivam Deshmukh ensured Vidarbha get over the line in the penultimate over.

Kerala lose the plot in slog overs

Vidarbha skipper Harsh Dubey won the toss and opted to bowl first. Nachiket Bhute struck early with the new ball, dismissing skipper Samson and Ahammed Imran. The captain scored just one run from four overs. Kunnummal and Vinod shared a 77-run partnership for the third wicket. Thakur broke the partnership in the 12th over with Kunnummal's wicket. The opener scored 58 runs from 35 balls, including four fours and as many sixes. Adhyayan Daga knocked over Salman Nizar for a single-digit score and then got the wicket of Vinod. He hit six sixes in his 38-ball 65.

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Then Thakur struck thrice in the 18th over, dismissing Abdul Basith, Sharafuddeen and Saly Samson. In the penultimate over, Daga dismissed Nidheesh for a two-ball duck. On the second ball of the final over, Thakur got the wicket of Ankit Sharma to complete his second T20 fifer and bowl out Kerala for 164.

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Taide sets the tone in run chase

In the run chase, Aman Mokhade lost his wicket to Sharafuddeen for a single-digit score in the fifth over. Taide did the bulk of the scoring in the powerplay overs. Daga could not make the most of a good start and lost his wicket to wrist spinner Vigesh Puthur in the eighth over. In the next over, Taide reached his fifty from 28 balls.

Dhruv Shorey contributed with a 16-ball 22 cameo before Nidheesh trapped him in front of the stumps in the 12th over. On the next ball, Basith got the wicket of Taide. The opener hit seven fours and two sixes in his 36-ball 54. When Taide departed, Vidarbha needed 53 runs from 47 balls. Varun Bisht batted sensibly whereas wicketkeeper Deshmukh played aggressively. He hit two sixes and as many fours in his unbeaten 18-ball 29. On the third ball of the 19th over, Vidarbha chased down the total with six wickets in hand. Bisht remained unbeaten on 22 off 20 deliveries.

Thakur retained by Punjab Kings

The 26-year-old pacer was retained by the PBKS ahead of mini-auction. He was roped in for Rs 1.6 crore in the mega auction. The Vidarbha pacer got just two chances in IPL 2025. He bagged just one wicket and had an economy rate of 12.15 runs per over. Earlier, he played two seasons for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), picking up 24 wickets.