Yuvraj smashes 7 sixes as India Masters thrash Australia Masters in IML semis

Cricketing nostalgia was at its peak as the India Masters rode a powerpacked halfcentury from Yuvraj Singh and a fourwicket burst from leftarm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem to storm into the final of the International Masters League IML 2025 hammering the Australia Masters by 94 runs in the first semifinalFor Sachin Tendulkarrsquos men this was more than just a ticket to Sundayrsquos title clash mdash it was a chance to settle old scores and they did it convincingly in front of a packed crowd at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium here on ThursdayThe Raipur crowd erupted in anticipation as Sachin Tendulkar walked out to take charge of India Mastersrsquo innings after being invited to bat by Australia Masters on a track tailormade for batting and the iconic batter turned back time with a brisk 42run knock before Singhrsquos vintage hitting powered them to a daunting 2207 Watch the action LIVE on JioHotstar Colors_Cineplex amp CCSuperhits IMLT20 TheBaapsOfCricket IMLonJioHotstar IMLonCineplex pictwittercomuYSgWczRgpmdash INTERNATIONAL MASTERS LEAGUE imlt20official March 13 2025Unfazed by the early loss of Ambati Rayudu 5 and Pawan Negi 11 Tendulkar stood firm rolling back the years with impeccable timing and elegance Every flick and drive reminded the world why he remains a timeless maestro as he displayed his signature drives sweeps and flicks to ensure the scoreboard kept moving At the other end Yuvraj Singh made an emphatic start launching a colossal six over midwicket to announce his arrivalThere was a brief hush in the stadium when Tendulkar survived two anxious moments on 25 and 35 but as soon as the danger passed the iconic ldquoSachin Sachinrdquo chants reverberated louder than ever With the duo in full flow their 47run partnership for the third wicket ensured a strong foundation for a commanding totalHowever a couple of overs later a hush fell over Raipur Ben Hilfenhaus struck bringing Tendulkarrsquos sublime 30ball knock laced with seven boundaries to an abrupt halt With the master departing it was time for another familiar hero to take center stageSingh was at his vintage best as he stepped on the accelerator sending Bryce McGain into the stands thrice in one over to bring up a whirlwind 26ball fifty New man Stuart Binny wasted no time in asserting his presence cashing in on a reprieve on 11 off Hilfenhaus and finding boundaries at willJust when the YuvrajBinny duo seemed unstoppable Doherty managed to silence the crowd but not before Yuvraj had hammered seven sixes and a four in a sensational 30ball stay Yet the fireworks were far from over as Yusuf Pathan walked in and launched a towering six over longon while Binny ensured the onslaught continued as India raced to 1994 by the 18th overThe India Masters duorsquos effort to go ballistic in the final two overs however did not bear fruit as Daniel Christian packed back both Binny and Yusuf Pathan in a span of four deliveries to apply the brakes By that time the righthanded pair had added 49 runs for the fifth wicket with Binny contributing with a 21ball 36 laced with five hits to the fence and once over it while Yusuf slammed a 10ball 23 powered by two sixes and a four In the end Irfan Pathanrsquos 7ball 19 propelled the home side to a challenging totalIn reply Australia Mastersrsquo chase was derailed by three quick wickets inside the powerplay with Vinay Kumar starting proceedings by getting rid of the dangerous Shane Watson 5 cheaply before dismissing Shaun Marsh 21Leftarm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem who was preferred for the highstakes encounter proved to be a masterstroke as he ran through the Australia Masters batting with an incredible spell of 415 off his four overs Nadeem struck in his first over with the scalp of Ben Dunk 21 before accounting for the wickets of Nathan Reardon 21 Nathan CoulterNile 0 and Ben Hilfenhaus 2 to put the visitors on the back footWith Australia struggling at 493 after the powerplay their troubles deepened when Stuart Binny made an instant impact snaring Daniel Christian 2Desperate for stability Reardon coming off a halfcentury the previous night looked to revive the innings He was handed a lifeline after Binny missed a sharp return catch and the lefthander capitalized with a couple of crisp boundaries momentarily igniting hopes of a fightbackHowever those hopes were swiftly dashed as Nadeem returned to deliver a decisive blow striking twice in consecutive deliveries He first dismissed Reardon for a 14ball 21 before trapping Nathan CoulterNile off the very next ball reducing Australia Masters to a precarious 746Fellow leftarm spinner Pawan Negi then packed Steve OrsquoKeefe for a duck even as Ben Cutting raged a lone battle for his side before eventually being dismissed by Irfan Pathan for 39 to end Australiarsquos hopesIn the second semifinal on Friday the Sri Lanka Masters who finished atop the IML points table after the group stage will take on the West Indies Masters at the same venueBrief scoresIndia Masters 2207 Sachin Tendulkar 42 Yuvraj Singh 59 Stuart Binny 36 Yusuf Pathan 23 Xavier Doherty 230 Daniel Christian 240 beat Australia Masters 126 all out Ben Cutting 39 Ben Dunk 21 Shaun Marsh 21 Shahbaz Nadeem 415 Vinay Kumar 210 Irfan Pathan 231 by 94 runsWith inputs from agencies