Rinku Singh in beast mode – 8 sixes, 108 off 48: Explosive show ahead of Asia Cup - WATCH

NEW DELHI: Cometh the hour, cometh Rinku Singh. The explosive batter marked his selection in India’s Asia Cup squad with a stunning century in the UPT20 League at Ekana Stadium on Thursday. Turning out for Meerut Mavericks, Rinku smashed 108 off just 48 deliveries, peppered with seven fours and eight towering sixes, at a breathtaking strike rate of 225. His heroics powered the Mavericks to a six-wicket win over Gorakhpur Lions.Chasing 168, the Mavericks were in deep trouble at 38/4 in the eighth over when Rinku walked in. What followed was pure carnage. He tore into the Lions’ attack, adding 130 runs off 65 balls with Sahab Yuvraj (22) for the fifth wicket, and sealed victory with seven balls to spare.Earlier, Gorakhpur Lions lost opener Aryan Juyal in the very first over to Vishal Chaudhary. Skipper Dhruv Jurel (38) and Akshdeep Nath (23) steadied the innings with a 45-run stand, before Nishant Kushwaha’s 37 lifted the Lions to a competitive 167.In another match, skipper Karan Sharma and Abhishek Goswami struck fluent half-centuries to guide Kashi Rudras to their third successive win, thrashing Noida Kings by 88 runs. Kashi’s disciplined bowling unit then skittled Noida for just 85 in 12 overs.Batting first, Goswami (50) and Karan (58) shared an 85-run opening stand off 60 balls. Shubham Chaubey chipped in with a brisk 30 off 18 to push Kashi to 173/6. In reply, Noida collapsed under relentless pressure. Kartik Yadav bagged four wickets, while Shiva picked up two to complete the rout.