Uttar Pradesh continued their blazing start to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 with a crushing 109-run demolition of Jammu & Kashmir in Lucknow on Friday, surging to the top of Group B with eight points from two matches. Wicketkeeper-batter Aryan Juyal followed up his match-winning 93* against Goa with a breezy 40-ball 51, while left-arm spinning all-rounder Prashant Veer produced a sensational all-round display—smashing an unbeaten 10-ball 37 (including 24 runs off the final over) and later claiming 3/20—to power UP to an imposing 193/6 before bowling J&K out for a paltry 84.

After skipper Karan Sharma (32 off 24) and Juyal added 73 fluent runs for the opening wicket, Umran Malik’s raw pace briefly threatened a comeback, dismissing both set batters and reducing UP to 97/4. But Veer walked in at No. 7 and turned the game on its head, carting Auqib Nabi for 4-6-6-4-4 in the last over to lift the total beyond reach. J&K’s chase never got going—skipper Shubham Khajuria was absent due to injury, and the spin trio of Veer, Vipraj Nigam (3/25), and veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/14 in 2 overs) choked the life out of the innings inside 16 overs.

In other Group B action, Prithvi Shaw roared back to form with a 36-ball 66, and Arshin Kulkarni hammered an unbeaten 89 off 54 as Maharashtra chased down Hyderabad’s 191/8 with eight wickets and eight balls to spare. Shaw, eyeing a strong IPL mini-auction showing after going unsold last year, was dropped early but made Hyderabad pay with nine fours and three sixes. Kulkarni, reprieved thrice, finished the job in style alongside Rahul Tripathi.

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At the Emerald Heights ground, Venkatesh Iyer reminded the Kolkata Knight Riders what they let go as he struck an unbeaten 34-ball 55 and took a wicket to set up Madhya Pradesh’s 62-run win over Bihar. Iyer and Harsh Gawli (50 off 44) lifted MP to 174/8 before teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi fell for 13 and Bihar collapsed to 112 all out.

With dominant performances across venues, Uttar Pradesh have stamped their authority early in the tournament, while Shaw, Iyer, and Kulkarni served timely reminders of their white-ball pedigree ahead of the crucial IPL auction next month.

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