Greater Noida (U.P.), March 2 : Pawan Negi and skipper Suresh Raina smashed fifties as VVIP Uttar Pradesh defeated Chhattisgarh Warriors by 19 runs in the second semifinal of the Indian Veteran Premier League (IVPL) at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex here on Saturday.

Batting first, VVIP Uttar Pradesh posted 203/8 in the 20 overs on the back of fifties by Negi (94 off 50 balls) and Raina (58 runs off 33 balls). In response, Chhattisgarh Warriors started the chase on a good note but faltered in the middle overs and were restricted at 184/2.

In the last two overs, Chhattisgarh Warriors required 51 runs. In all 15 runs came out of the over leaving the Warriors needing 36 off the last six balls. In the end, the side left with too much to ask for.

Put into bat first, VVIP Uttar Pradesh suffered a major setback as the side lost two wickets in the first two overs. But skipper Suresh Raina and Pawan Negi rebuilt the innings and stitched a 142-run stand for the third wicket.

Following the departure of Raina and Negi, Parvinder Singh slammed 33 runs in 16 balls as VVIP Uttar Pradesh got over the 200-run mark.

Chasing 203, Chhattisgarh Warriors got off to a great start as openers Naman Ojha and Jatin Saxena made 96 runs for the first wicket. Ojha and Jatin Saxena both smashed boundaries from either end.

However, VVIP Uttar Pradesh made a comeback and dismissed Ojha and Saurabh Tiwary in the span of three overs. Though Chhattisgarh Warriors lose many wickets, the required run rate shot up in the middle overs. The Warriors weren't able to win the semi-finals as they ended at

With this win, VVIP Uttar Pradesh have reached the finals of IVPL and will meet Mumbai Champions in the ultimate showdown on Sunday here at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida.

/IANS