UP, Railways in final

An unbeaten 99 by all-rounder Jyoti Yadav helped Uttar Pradesh whip Baroda by 102 runs and set up a title clash with Railways in the Inter-State Limited-over tournament in Lucknow on Sunday.

In the other semi-final, Railways crushed Bengal by 101 runs.

Following the victory, Uttar Pradesh, joint winners in the last edition of the tournament, are a step away from completing a rare golden double after their maiden Ranji Trophy title triumph last month.

The local favourites set Baroda a victory target of 218 in the stipulated 50 overs at Gomti Nagar stadium.

Jyoti Yadav played a patient knock of 99 not out to help the hosts post a respectable total of 217 for nine. For Baroda, pacer Sankalp Vora claimed five wickets for 34 runs, while seasoned seamer Zaheer Khan ended with two scalps for 34 runs.

Chasing the target, Baroda collapsed like a deck of cards -- for 115 in the 40th over -- against some accurate bowling by Shalabh Srivastava (3 for 11), Praveen Kumar (2 for 28) and spinner Ali Murtaza (2 for 25).

In the other semi-final, at the K D Singh Babu stadium, Railways scored a respectable total of 266 for 7 in the alloted 50 overs, with opener T P Singh (90 not out) and skipper Sunjoy Bangar (44) displaying good form.

Bengal Pacer S S Paul claimed five wickets, while spinner Sourashish Lahiri bagged two.

In reply, despite getting off to a flying start through openers Subhomoy Das and former Team India skipper Sourav ganguly, Bengal were bundled out by a disciplined Railway bowling attack for 165 runs in the 39th over.

Bangar, G Shankar Rao, Kulamani Parida and Madan Yadav claimed two wickets each, while former internationals J P Yadav and Harvindar Singh claimed one apiece.

UP and Railways now clash for the crown on Tuesday at the K D Singh Babu stadium.