Shreyas Iyer displayed his destructive prowess, crafting a blazing 73 off 44 balls, guiding Mumbai to a comprehensive five-wicket victory over Vidarbha in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy semifinal. Despite losing skipper Ajinkya Rahane early, Mumbai, led by the in-form Prithvi Shaw (34 off 21) and Iyer, comfortably chased down the 165-run target in just 16.5 overs. Jitesh Sharma’s impressive 46 not out off 24 balls had propelled Vidarbha to 164 for seven. Mumbai is now set to face Himachal Pradesh in the final on Saturday.

Iyer’s explosive innings, featuring seven fours and four sixes, showcased ominous form ahead of the upcoming limited-overs tour of New Zealand. Sarfaraz Khan contributed with a quick 27 off 19 balls, while Shivam Dubey finished the game unbeaten with two sixes, scoring 13 off four balls.

Reflecting on the match at the Eden Gardens, Iyer commented, “I am happy that I took it till the end. My mindset was to stay in the attacking mode. Dew factor played an important part as well. We tried to punish the loose balls. The spinners also didn’t get much turn.” He also commended Prithvi Shaw for his impactful cameo at the top of the order, stating, “When Prithvi was batting, you always keep getting runs. We told him to stay at least till the first six overs.”

Acknowledging the upcoming final against Himachal Pradesh, Iyer emphasized the need to execute plans on the given day and not underestimate the opponents. The brief scores for the match were Vidarbha: 164/7 in 20 overs (Jitesh Sharma 46 not out; Shams Mulani 3/20), Mumbai: 169/5 in 16.5 overs (Shreyas Iyer 73; Akshay Karnewar 2/24).