New Delhi: Vishnu Vinod's unbeaten 62 went in vain as Kerala lost to Railways by six runs in an Elite Group D match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy National T20 Championships here on Saturday.
Chasing a target of 145, Kerala lost four wickets up front. Mohammed Azharuddeen was the first to go for six. Jalaj Saxena, who came in at No. 3, was out for a duck. Rohan S Kunnummal, who replaced an injured Robin Uthappa, fell for 10, while the in-form Sanju Samson was dismissed for six as Kerala slumped to 24/4 in the sixth over.
Vishnu and Sachin Baby (25) revived the Kerala innings with a 70-run stand for the fifth wicket off 54 balls. Vishnu hit four fours and two sixes in his 43-ball knock.
Though Manu Krishan (21 not out off 10 balls) tried his best, Kerala ended up on 138/6 as Railways posted their first win from three games.
Yuvraj (3/23) was the pick of the Railways bowlers.
Earlier, Railways made 144/6 after being put in to bat.
The Railways batters found the going tough initially as they slipped to 41/3 in the eighth over.
Wicketkeeper Upendra Yadav was the top scorer with an unbeaten 39. Shubham Chaubey smashed an uneaten 19 off six balls to take them past the 140-run mark which proved crucial in the end.
Leggie Midhun claimed 3/24 from his four overs.
Kerala, who have fours points from three matches, next meet Assam in the six-team Group D on Monday.
Brief scores: Railways 144/6 in 20 overs (Upendra Yadav 39 not out; S Midhun 3/24) bt Kerala 138/6 in 20 overs (Vishnu Vinod 62 not out; Yuvraj 3/23).
Points: Railways 4; Kerala 0.
