Noida Kings skipper Prashant Veer dedicated his Player of the Match award to teammate Kartik Siddhu after a stunning one-run victory over two-time defending champions Kashi Rudras in the UP T20 League Eliminator on 4 September in Lucknow. Siddhu's sensational hat-trick in the penultimate over — conceding just three runs — turned what looked like a certain Kashi win into one of the most dramatic reversals in the tournament's history.

The Hat-Trick That Changed Everything

With Kashi Rudras needing just 17 runs off the final 12 balls, Veer made the pivotal call to hand the ball to Kartik Siddhu. The move paid off spectacularly: Siddhu took a hat-trick, conceding only 3 runs in the over, and flipped the equation entirely in Noida's favour.

'Especially the way Siddhu bowled was extraordinary. He picked up a hat-trick and brought us right back into the match. I would like to dedicate my Player of the Match award to Kartik Siddhu,' Veer said at the post-match presentation.

Veer's Tactical Masterstroke

The decision to bowl Siddhu was rooted in sharp situational reading. 'I was watching how Naman was bowling from the other end,' Veer explained. 'The ball wasn't really gripping; it was coming on quite nicely, and it was a little wet. The boundaries were also very short on that side. So I thought we should take a chance because they needed only 17 runs. We just needed wickets, and I felt Siddhu would give us a better chance of getting them.'

With 14 runs to defend in the final over, Veer then trusted Vansh — playing his first season with the active squad after three years on the fringes. 'He has been preparing for this for the last two or three years. He conceded one six, but even that could probably have been a catch if we had a fielder a little deeper. I had complete trust in him,' the captain said.

Veer's Unbeaten 58 and the No-Ball Lifeline

Before his captaincy heroics, Prashant Veer rescued the Noida innings with an unbeaten 58 off 28 balls, including a hat-trick of sixes in the final over that propelled the Kings to 154/6. His innings was almost cut short when he was caught and bowled off the second ball of the 19th over — only for the delivery to be ruled a no-ball. A brief rain delay followed, giving him time to reset.

'When I survived the no-ball, I went back and thought about what else I could do. There were only 10 balls left, so I had to make something happen. I decided that I would try to hit the ball behind or over the field, depending on where it was bowled,' Veer revealed.

Middle-Over Shift and Captaincy Confidence

Defending 154, Noida's plan for early wickets did not materialise initially. 'I thought that if we could get one or two early wickets, maybe Abhishek Goswami or Karan Sharma, we would be right back in the game. But that didn't happen. Then we changed the ball after 10 overs, and that's where the game changed for us,' Veer said.

The skipper, who gained exposure to MS Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad during his time with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2026, credited seniors Shiva Singh, Aditya Sharma, and Madhav Kaushik for their counsel. 'My seniors have been very supportive. I speak to them and take their opinions before making decisions. That has helped us make some very good decisions,' he said.

What's Next for Noida Kings

With this Eliminator win secured, Noida Kings advance to Qualifier 2, where they will face the Meerut Mavericks. The one-run margin underlines just how fine the margins are in knockout cricket — and how a single over from Kartik Siddhu can rewrite an entire match.