Punjab got off to a brisk start after they elected to bat first in Match 24 of SMAT 2023. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh put his foot on the gas to bring up 93 runs for the first wicket in the blink of an eye. During the second ball of the eighth over, Tripurana Vijay broke the 50-ball stand by dismissing Prabhsimran for 24 (21).

Batting at No.3, Naman Dhir partnered with Sharma to add 53 more runs from just 18 deliveries. Sharma was the lynchpin of the assault and scored 112 (51), his second century in India’s ongoing domestic T20 competition. The southpaw batter smacked nine fours and as many maximums to annihilate the Andhra bowlers. Middle-order batter Anmolpreet Singh gave impetus to his team’s late-innings flourish, blasting 87 off just 26 balls. The blitz contained six boundaries and nine sixes. All-rounder Sanvir Singh’s 15 (6) cameo was the cherry on the cake as Punjab finished on 275-6.

Punjab went past many records in their blistering team effort. They eclipsed Melbourne Stars’ 273-2 in the 2022 Big Bash League to post the highest-ever domestic T20 total. Punjab also bettered Mumbai’s record score of 258 against Sikkim in SMAT 2019. The run-fest placed them fourth on the list of the highest T20 total, combining domestic and international matches. Nepal reign at the top for their 314-3 versus Mongolia in the Asian Games 2023.

Andhra Pradesh didn’t have the best of starts to chasing the daunting target. Requiring 13.8 runs per over, they slipped to 34-6 early in the innings. The early collapse meant that the match was virtually over for them. However, Ricky Bhui notched up a fine unbeaten 104 (52) to give some respect to the botched-up chase. Andhra batters ended on 170-7, slumping to a thumping 105-run defeat.