Smith Patel steers Gujarat to Syed Mushtaq Ali title

Bhubaneswar: Gujarat won their second Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy after a tense two-wicket win over Punjab in the final here yesterday.

Opener Smit Patel scored an unbeaten 50 to help Gujarat get past Punjab's 117 for 9 with one ball to spare.

Gujarat's chase was far from convincing but contributions from Patel, Rujul Bhatt (23) and Jesal Karia (19) proved to be enough.

Their bowling star was medium pacer Rohit Dahiya, who took four wickets for 15 runs in four overs after Gujarat opted to field.

Ravi Inder Singh (30) was the top-scorer for Punjab. Key players in either side were missing ahead of the IPL beginning tonight.

Brief scores: Punjab 117/9 in 20 overs (Ravi Inder Singh 30, Gurkeerat Singh 23; Rohit Dahiya 4/15). Gujarat 123/8 in 19.5 overs (Smit Patel 50 not out, Rujul Bhatt 23; Siddarth Kaul 2/28).