Former U-19 World Cup stars set up Punjab’s U-23 title win

Led by Harnoor Pannu’s 103-ball 100, Punjab defeated Gujarat by 56 runs to lift the U-23 state A trophy

Chandigarh: Riding on match-winning knocks from Harnoor Pannu (100 off 103), Ridham Satyawan (68 off 39) and Uday Saharan (59 off 75), Punjab beat Gujarat by 56 runs in the final of the men’s U-23 state A trophy played at the JU Second Campus in Kolkata, on Friday.

Harnoor Pannu being presented with the Player of the Natch award for his ton on Friday.  (PCA)

Coached by former India Test cricketer VRV Singh and led by former India U-19 World Cup (2024) team captain Uday Saharan, Punjab had beaten Haryana in the semi-finals where Pannu had once again starred with a century.

Batting first on Friday, Punjab amassed 317/8 in 50 overs. In reply, Gujarat were bowled out for 261 runs in 47.1 overs, with Ayush (3/51) and Aryaman Dhaliwal (3/36) doing the maximum damage for Punjab. For Gujarat, Arya Desai (76) and Priyesh (63) were the main run-getters.

Left-handed opener Pannu, who was part of the India U-19 World Cup team in 2022, had moved from UT Cricket Association to Punjab Cricket Association at the start of the 2024-25 season. The decision worked wonders for him as he walked away not only with the Player of the Match award but also bagged the Player of the Tournament for his 497 runs. It may be recalled he was adjudged Player of the Tournament during PCA’s T20 Sher-e-Punjab Trophy held in 2024.

Known for his big-hitting skills, the 21-year-old from Jalandhar was bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for a base price of ₹30 lakh at last year’s IPL auction in Jeddah. He played for PCA in the U-16s but moved to UTCA in 2019 when it got the BCCI affiliation.

Punjab Cricket Association announced a cash award of ₹25 lakh for the team, matching the BCCI prize money for the title. “This title affirms the talent we have in Punjab. VRV Singh and the players deserve all the credit and we are hopeful of the team also winning the Under 23 four-day CK Nayudu title,” PCA secretary Dilsher Khanna said.

Known for his immaculate coaching skills, VRV Singh groomed the Punjab U-23 side well to get the desired result. Having played for Punjab for a decade, VRV brought curtains down on his playing career in 2019, before donning the hat of head coach for Chandigarh (UTCA). He was appointed head coach of the U-25 state men’s team in 2022-23 season.

“The team played well throughout the tournament and showed their talent to win the final. Consistency, application, and hard work in the camps worked well for the team. PCA, Harbhajan Singh and the secretary Dilsher Khanna backed the process from the start of the season. We will hope to show the mettle in the Colonel CK Nayudu Trophy as well,” said Singh.

Brief scoresPunjab U-23 317/8 in 50 overs (H Pannu 100, U Saharan 59, R Satyawan 68) vs Gujarat U-23 261 all out in 47.1 overs (A Desai 76, Priyesh 63). Punjab U-23 won by 56 runs.