Last Updated:
Harnoor Singh’s century shines in Buchi Babu Trophy final as Jharkhand, led by Anukul Roy’s five wickets, beat Punjab by 131 runs.
Harnoor Singh scored a hundred in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament (Picture credit: ICC)
Star Punjab batter Harnoor Singh’s valiant century went in vain as Jharkhand bagged a whopping 131-run win in the final tie of the Buchi Babu Trophy, with Kolkata Knight Riders allrounder Anukul Roy picking a five-wicket haul to stop Punjab way short of the target.
Chasing a daunting 403 in 45 overs, Punjab openers Prabhsimran Singh and Harnoor gave their team a blistering start, adding 119 runs in under 14 overs.
After Prabhsimran’s quickfire 59 off 41, former India U19 opener Harnoor carried the charge, smashing a 75-ball hundred before falling for 106 off 83.
After Harnoor’s dismissal, Punjab couldn’t build any more partnerships as they could manage 271, losing by 131 runs.
Jharkhand laid the foundation with a commanding first-innings show, powered by Shikhar Mohan’s 105 and Rishav Raj’s 5/33.
Anukul spearheaded the bowling attack, returning brilliant figures of 5/79.
Who Is Harnoor Singh?
Harnoor first shot into prominence when he was selected for the U19 World Cup in 2022, a team that was led by Yash Dhull.
Harnoor, from a cricketing family, first made headlines in 2021 after smashing three hundreds in the age-group Challenger Trophy.
After breaking into the India U19 side in November 2021, Harnoor kept piling on the runs.
Harnoor struck 72 and 111 against Bangladesh U19, before backing it up with scores of 120, 46, and 65 in the U19 Asia Cup against UAE, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
On reaching the Caribbean, Harnoor kicked off with a hundred in a warm-up clash against Australia.
Harnoor went on to score 141 runs in six matches in the U19 World Cup, at an average of 23.5, but with just one fifty to his name.
Soon after the World Cup, Harnoor made his first-class debut playing for Chandigarh against Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and scored a half-century in the second innings. His last first-class appearance was in January 2024, when he played against Tamil Nadu.
Harnoor scored 24 and 21 in those matches and a first-class call-up has eluded him since. He has scored 187 runs in five games at an average of 26.71 with just one fifty. He has played T20s for Chandigarh and Punjab but has a dismal average of 10.
Read More
