Lucknow, August 22 (HS): A breathtaking century from Rinku Singh lit up the Uttar Pradesh T20 League on Thursday as the Meerut Mavericks cruised to a six-wicket victory over the Gorakhpur Lions in the ninth match of the tournament.

Chasing 168, the Mavericks were under early pressure, but Rinku turned the game on its head with an unbeaten 108 off just 48 deliveries, a knock studded with 10 towering sixes and 7 boundaries. His explosive innings not only sealed the win with 7 balls to spare but also left fans at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in awe. Sahab Yuvraj Singh chipped in with 22 runs to support the chase.

Earlier, opting to bat first, the Gorakhpur Lions posted 167/9 in 20 overs. Skipper Dhruv Jurel top-scored with 38 off 32 balls, while Nishant Kushwaha (37 off 24) and Akshdeep Nath (23 off 16) kept the innings alive. However, the side faltered in building bigger partnerships and kept losing wickets at key intervals.

For Meerut, Vishal Chaudhary and Vijay Kumar starred with the ball, bagging three wickets each, while Zeeshan Ansari claimed two.

With this emphatic win, the Mavericks consolidated their place in the points table, while the Lions will need to regroup quickly if they are to bounce back in their upcoming matches.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar