Vijay Hazare Trophy: Punjab's Amolpreet slams fastest Indian List-A ton, Iyer continues red-hot form

New Delhi [India], December 21 : Uncapped batter Amolpreet Singh smashed the fastest List-A century by an Indian batter and overall third-fastest, while Mumbai captain Shreyas Iyer continued his red-hot domestic cricket run on the opening day of Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) on Saturday.
Notably, List-A consists of all one-day cricket played across all levels, be it at international, state or club level.
During the Group C match for Punjab against Arunachal Pradesh, Amolpreet slammed 115* in just 45 balls, with 12 fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 255.55, helping Punjab chase down 165 run target in just 12.1 overs, with nine wickets left.
Amolpreet's century came in just 35 balls, which is the fastest List-A century by an Indian, breaking the record of former Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, who scored a 40-ball ton during Baroda's match with Maharashtra in the 2009/10 season.
The second-fastest List A ton came from AB de Villiers, a 31-ball ton against West Indies in January 2015.
Australia's Jake Fraser McGurk has the fastest List A ton, slamming a 29-ball century for South Australia against Tasmania last year.
Also, the match between Mumbai and Karnataka was an intense affair with a knock of 150* in 101 balls (with 20 fours and four sixes) from Krishnan Shrijith and fifties from KV Aneesh (82 in 66 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) and Praveen Dubey (65* in 50 balls, with five fours and a six) helped Karnataka chase down a target of 383 runs set by Mumbai in 46.2 overs.
Karnataka had elected to field first and Mumbai posted 382/4 in their fifty overs. Iyer slammed a 55-ball 114, with five fours and 10 sixes at a strike rate of 207.27. Half-centuries from Hardik Tamore (84 in 94 balls, with seven fours and three sixes), Ayush Mhatre (78 in 82 balls, with six fours and two sixes) and Shivam Dube (63* in 36 balls, with five fours and five sixes) also came in clutch.
Bowlers across both sides got plenty of beating, with Mumbai's Mohammad Juned Khan (2/70 in eight overs) being the most economical bowler in the match.
Since his return to domestic cricket with the Duleep Trophy this year, Iyer has been in dazzling form despite the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) central contract snub. He has captured the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), 42nd Ranji Trophy title, the Irani Cup and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with Mumbai. The IPL and SMAT title wins have come under his captaincy.
In 20 domestic matches since his return, Iyer has slammed 1,130 runs at an average of 59.47, with four centuries and four fifties to his name and best score of 233.
In the Bihar-Madhya Pradesh clash, MP skipper Rajat Patidar, who starred in SMAT 2024 with 428 runs in nine innings and five fifties, continued his fine form, making 55 in 33 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes. Half-centuries from him and Harsh Gawli (83 in 63 balls, with 11 fours and a six) helped MP chase down 197 set by Bihar in 25.1 overs.
During the Delhi-Bengal clash, Abishek Porel slammed an unbeaten 170* in 130 balls, with 18 fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of above 130 and single-handedly chased down the target of 273 in 41.3 overs with six wickets left.
Delhi was put to the field first by Bengal. Half-centuries from Anuj Rawat (79* in 66 balls, with nine fours and two sixes) and Himmat Singh (60 in 57 balls, with seven fours and a six) along with a supportive knock from skipper Ayush Badoni (41 in 56 balls, with five fours) helped Delhi reach 272/7 in 50 overs. Mukesh Kumar was the leading bowler for Bengal with figures of 4/66 in 10 overs.