Hyderabad, 26 November (H.S.): , Gujarat captain and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Urvil Patel delivered a breathtaking performance on the opening day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, smashing a ferocious 31-ball century against Services at the Gymkhana Ground. His explosive innings, featuring 11 fours and eight sixes, guided his team to a dominant victory.

Chasing a competitive target of 183 set by Services, Gujarat openers Urvil Patel and Aarya Desai launched an immediate and overwhelming assault on the opposition's bowling attack. The pair forged a massive 174-run opening partnership, rendering the chase a formality.

Patel was unstoppable, ultimately finishing with a spectacular unbeaten 119 off just 37 deliveries, a knock that included 12 fours and 10 sixes.Patel, who was retained by CSK for the 2025 IPL season, had already been in the spotlight for his remarkable strike rate.

In three innings during the previous season, he scored 68 runs at a strike rate exceeding 200.Interestingly, despite his proven credentials, which include hitting the most sixes (29) in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and scoring the joint-second fastest T20 century in 28 balls, Patel initially went unsold in the 2025 IPL mega auction. He was later brought into the CSK squad as a replacement for Vansh Bedi.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar