Rain-hit clash decides playoff fate

Noida Kings secured their spot in the UP T20 League 2026 playoffs with a five-wicket victory over the Meerut Mavericks in Match 27, played at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium. The win not only booked Noida's place in the Eliminator but also handed the table-topping Meerut Mavericks their first defeat of the season, according to a release from ANI.

Coming into their final league-stage match of the fourth season, Noida needed a win to qualify for the playoffs and were up against an unbeaten Meerut side, as reported by Lokmat Times. The fixture was initially reduced to a 15-over-a-side contest after heavy rain forced players off the field twice—the first interruption coming after just two deliveries and five runs, according to ANI. Eventually, the match was reduced to a five-over shoot-off.

Meerut Mavericks skipper Divyansh Joshi won the toss and opted to bat first, as reported by ANI. Swastik Chikara tried to give Meerut a quick start but was dismissed for 14 off 9 balls, stumped by wicketkeeper Aditya Sharma off the bowling of Prashant Veer, ANI reported.

Shiva Singh's devastating spell

The rest of the innings belonged to Shiva Singh. The left-arm finger spinner took a hat-trick split across his two overs—wickets on balls 2.5, 2.6, and 4.1—and finished with a five-wicket haul, restricting Meerut to 33/7, as reported by ANI and Lokmat Times. His figures of 5/6 were described as extraordinary by ANI. Lokmat Times reported that Shiva is the son of former Ranji Trophy player Ajit Singh.

Speaking after the game, Shiva revealed how a phone call from his father gave him inspiration. "Actually, I hadn't spoken to my dad for the first nine matches," Shiva said, as quoted by Lokmat Times. "Today, he called me up and said, 'It's the last league game, just play the way you always do. It's on you now; you are the main player of the team. Just perform the way you do in local matches.' That really helped me. Mentally, I was taking a lot of pressure before this, but hopefully, it turned out to be a great day."

Shiva also explained his approach to the shortened game. "The planning is quite simple," he said, as quoted by Lokmat Times. "Since it's a short match, you have to look at the batsman, the wicket, and the conditions, and bowl accordingly. You have to think a bit differently from your usual big-match plans. You have to be a bit smarter. My only plan was not to concede boundaries."

Noida chase and playoff picture

Noida chased down the target in 3.3 overs, as reported by Lokmat Times, and became the third team to book their place in the playoffs after Meerut and Lucknow Falcons, according to the same report. Noida are led by Prashant Veer, a Rs 2 crore signee, whom Shiva praised: "Prashant has played the IPL, so I would say he brings a lot of experience," Shiva said, as quoted by Lokmat Times.

Shiva, an U19 World Cup winner from 2018—a batch that included Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, and Arshdeep Singh—was part of Kashi Rudras in the first three years and helped them win two titles, Lokmat Times reported. He said, "If you want to keep playing cricket, you have to learn something new every single day," as quoted by the same outlet.

The victory secured Noida's passage into the playoffs, while Meerut's first loss of the season left their campaign still intact atop the standings.