Greater Noida, 10 May (H.S.):

Uttar Pradesh lifted the title of the 5th National Wheelchair Cricket Championship after defeating Haryana in a thrilling final at Shaheed Vijay Pathik Stadium in Greater Noida. Under the captaincy of Somjit Singh, Uttar Pradesh won the national title for the third time, further strengthening its dominance in Indian wheelchair cricket.

In the match played on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh, batting first, posted a strong total of 191 for 9 in the allotted 20 overs. In reply, Haryana also batted well and scored 186 for 8 in 20 overs, but fell short by just five runs.

Anil Singhania was named Man of the Match for his excellent all-round performance. He scored 27 crucial runs for Uttar Pradesh and also took two wickets.

Guests at the final included Bharatiya Janata Party youth leader from Faridabad Aman Goyal, Vishva Hindu Parishad’s Bal Kishan Sharma, Physical Challenged Cricket Association of India president Surendra Lohia, and Wheelchair Cricket India Association president Abhay Pratap Singh. The dignitaries praised the players’ determination, discipline and sporting spirit, while also lauding the rapid growth of wheelchair cricket across the country.

Uttar Pradesh captain Somjit Singh credited the team’s unity, hard work and fighting spirit for the historic victory.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar