Vihaan Malhotra’s 52-ball century leads Fazilka Falcons to eight-wicket win

Vihaan Malhotra’s 52-ball century carried Fazilka Falcons to an eight-wicket win over Jalandhar Warriors in Match 2 of the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League 2026 on Monday at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. The Falcons chased 188 in 17.4 overs, finishing 192 for 2 with 14 balls to spare, according to Khel Now and the league site punjabt20.com.

The result is same-day news. The afternoon fixture started at 1 p.m. IST on August 31. Fazilka Falcons won the toss and bowled, NDTV Profit reported, with Sanvir Singh named captain in the playing XI. Shubman Gill, the franchise’s marquee leader, did not appear in that XI.

Prabhsimran’s start fades after the powerplay

Prabhsimran Singh walked out as Jalandhar’s captain and wicketkeeper and attacked the new ball. A live mid-innings snapshot on Crex had him 66 off 33, with four sixes already on the board, while the Warriors sat 101 for 2 in the 10th over. The supplied match account has him finishing on 76 off 42, with eight fours and four sixes, before Kirandeep Singh removed him in the 13th over. That completed individual card had not been published in full on the major score pages at the time of this check, so the 76-off-42 line remains attributed to the post-match account rather than an official first-innings graphic.

The rest of the innings did not hold. Anmol Malhotra got a start and could not convert. Sukhdeep Bajwa’s 12-ball 23, also from that match account, was the only late punch. The Warriors were bowled out for 187 in 19.4 overs. On a ground that had already produced a 258 versus 262 opener the night before, 187 looked short the moment Falcons kept wickets in hand.

Prabhsimran had talked up the league as a classroom for Punjab’s next wave. “I’m very excited to lead the Jalandhar Warriors,” he said ahead of the tournament, per New Kerala. Monday asked him to set a total. He did the first half of that job. Nobody else finished it.

Malhotra turns the chase into a statement

Bajwa struck first. Jaiveer Bhinder lasted five balls and fell for a duck, caught off Bajwa in the opening over, the Khel Now card shows. Malhotra answered in the next over, hitting Paras Jaidka for two sixes and a four, per the match account. Anshul Chaudhary joined him and scored 36 off 20, with six fours and a six, before Emanjot Singh Chahal had him caught.

Sanvir then played the supporting hand. He reached fifty off 28 balls with a six in the 18th over, the Crex commentary feed recorded, then took a single. Malhotra smashed Aryan Yadav for six and brought up 100 off 52 deliveries. He finished 103 not out off 52, with 10 fours and five sixes, strike rate 198.08. Sanvir was unbeaten on 51 off 29. The unbroken stand after Chaudhary’s wicket covered the chase.

Sportskeeda posted on X: “U-19 World Cup star and RCB all-rounder Vihaan Malhotra smashed his maiden century in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League” — https://x.com/Sportskeeda/status/2094435983387423024. Cricket Gully posted the same scoreline, 103 not out off 52 — https://x.com/thecricketgully/status/2094435792651219131. CricInformer called the chase clinical and noted the 14 balls to spare — https://x.com/CricInformer/status/2094386734985605572.

Why the Falcons won the matchup

Mohali rewarded clean hitting again. Sunday night’s opener had already shown how far a set batter can go here. Malhotra used that. He did not wait for the middle overs. He took the powerplay, kept the required rate under control, and forced Warriors’ part-time and change options into the game before they wanted it. Paras Jaidka’s two overs cost 36. Abhinav Sharma went for 39 in three. Aryan Yadav’s 0.4 overs leaked 14, including the six that raised the hundred.

Jalandhar’s problem sat at the other end of Prabhsimran. A captain’s 76 only works if someone else bats through the 15th to 20th. They lost 10 wickets. Falcons lost two. That gap decided the afternoon more than any single bowling change.

The knock also fits Malhotra’s year. He vice-captained India to the 2026 Under-19 World Cup title, with an unbeaten 109 against Zimbabwe in the Super Sixes, as Cricbuzz reported. Royal Challengers Bengaluru bought him for his base price of Rs 30 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction, Cricbuzz and IPLT20.com confirm. His IPL profile still lists no matches. This Mohali hundred is the clearest senior T20 statement he has made since that auction.

The official league account on Instagram hailed him as Fazilka’s first centurion of the season. For a 19-year-old from Patiala who spent IPL 2026 on the RCB books without a debut, the local league just gave him the stage the franchise did not.

Falcons take two points and a strong net run rate into the rest of the group. Warriors have to rebuild the innings behind Prabhsimran before they meet Amritsar Soormas on September 1.