Kanpur: Lucknow Falcons strengthened their position at second place in the points table after defeating Gorakhpur Lions by 24 runs in their ninth match of the UP T20 League held at Green Park Stadium here on Sunday.After being invited to bat, the Falcons recovered from a poor start to post 170 for five in their stipulated 20 overs. In reply, Gorakhpur Lions were restricted to 146 for nine in 20 overs.The victory took Lucknow Falcons’ tally to 11 points from nine matches and further boosted their hopes of reaching the final.Chasing 171, the Lions also struggled during the power play, scoring only 37 runs while losing four wickets in the first six overs. Their position worsened as they slipped to 78 for five after 12 overs, leaving the target looking increasingly difficult.Prince Yadav and Parth, however, revived Gorakhpur’s hopes with a confident partnership. The duo took on the Falcons’ bowlers and briefly threatened to bring the Lions back into the contest.Their partnership was finally broken by Abhinandan, who dismissed Prince Yadav for 49. His innings included one boundary and five sixes. Prince had earlier survived two difficult chances off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but the Falcons eventually made the breakthrough.Once the partnership was broken, the Lions’ hopes of chasing down the target faded. The remaining batters attempted to accelerate but failed to provide the required momentum, and Gorakhpur eventually finished on 146.Abhinandan Singh (3 for 32) and Akshu Bajwa (2 for 9) were successful bowlers for Falcons. Earlier, Lucknow Falcons had endured a shaky start after being put in to bat, managing only 33 runs while losing three wickets in the powerplay.Right-hander Ajeet Verma and all-rounder Kritagya Singh then turned the innings around with a superb fifth-wicket partnership. The pair added 109 runs from just 64 balls, rescuing the Falcons from a precarious position and putting them on course for a competitive total.Kritagya was dismissed in the final over with the Falcons’ score on 160, caught by Shivam off Prince Yadav. He scored 52 off 38 balls, hitting three boundaries and two sixes.Ajeet Verma remained unbeaten on a brilliant 75, his innings containing eight boundaries and three sixes. Aaradhya Yadav and Priyam Garg chipped in with 13 runs each.For Gorakhpur Lions, Vasu Vats, Rahul, Prince Yadav and Shivam Sharma took one wicket apiece.Brief score Lucknow Falcons-170 for 5 Gorakhpur Lions-146.
