Sameer Rizvi announced himself as the standout performer of UP T20 League 2026, blazing an unbeaten 91 off 39 balls to power the Kanpur Superstars to a commanding eight-wicket victory over the Noida Kings in Match 25 at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur, on 30 August. The win keeps Kanpur's playoff hopes firmly alive, while Noida slip to their second consecutive defeat.

Rizvi's Masterclass Under Pressure

Deployed as an Impact Player due to a finger injury sustained in the tournament's opening match, Rizvi entered the chase at a critical juncture — both openers had fallen cheaply with the Superstars needing 129 in a rain-curtailed 12-over contest. He responded with a controlled assault that featured 11 boundaries and five sixes, wrapping up the chase in just 10.4 overs alongside Abhishek Pandey's unbeaten 30 off 17.

'It's important to show intent during the powerplay,' Rizvi said after his Player of the Match performance. 'Since it was a 12-over match and the target was around 130, if a team capitalises on the powerplay, it becomes easier to control the game later.'

The Injury That Changed His Role

Rizvi revealed that a catch taken in Kanpur's first match left his finger damaged and his place in the starting XI untenable. 'In our first match, I took a catch and injured my finger. Since then, I've been having quite a lot of trouble while fielding,' he explained. 'I told the management that I wanted to play as an Impact Player because whenever the ball hits my finger while fielding, the pain gets worse, and it was also causing problems while batting. So, we decided to use me as an Impact Player.'

Far from being a handicap, the arrangement freed Rizvi to bat with singular focus. 'I wasn't thinking about who was at the non-striker's end or whether someone was supporting me; I just believed in myself that I had to score the runs on my own,' he said.

Noida's Blazing Start Undone by Yashovardhan Singh

The Noida Kings had threatened early chaos, with Shoaib Siddiqui (20 off 10) and Madhav Kaushik (31 off 11) racing to 45/0 inside 2.2 overs. Kanpur's Yashovardhan Singh halted the carnage with a spell of 3 for 10 — including a maiden over — reducing Noida to 69/5. Skipper Prashant Veer's unbeaten 50 off 27 then salvaged some respectability, lifting the Kings to 128/6.

Rizvi was quick to credit stand-in captain Adarsh Singh for steadying the ship during Noida's onslaught. 'He handled things really well. It was a flat wicket, and they got a good start initially. Even after that, he made some really good bowling changes and restricted them to a very low target. His captaincy was quite good,' Rizvi said.

Context and What It Means for the Tournament

Green Park Stadium, which has hosted 40 international matches, provided a fitting backdrop for the performance. Heavy rain had earlier delayed the start, with ground staff engineering a swift turnaround to enable the 12-over format. Kanpur's win in this condensed contest underlines their resilience and keeps their playoff qualification push on track. For Noida, back-to-back losses raise urgent questions about their middle-order depth and ability to defend totals when their top order fires but fails to build a platform.