Monkey runs onto field, startles Karnataka's Uma Kashvi in U19 T20 quarter-final

A monkey ran onto the field during the Women's U19 T20 Trophy quarter-final between Karnataka and Vidarbha in Nagpur on Thursday, October 22, startling Karnataka fielder Uma Kashvi; Kashvi later took three wickets as Karnataka secured a six-run victory.

The incident occurred while Kashvi was fielding near the boundary and she attempted to move out of the animal's path, lost her balance and fell onto the grass as the monkey ran past her before she got back to her feet. Play was briefly interrupted and a clip of the episode was shared by New Innings Cricket Enterprise (@n.i.c.e_official). The unexpected moment came during a closely fought quarter-final at the Lady Amritbai Daga College Ground in Nagpur.

Batting first, Karnataka posted 140 for seven in their allotted 20 overs after slipping to 65 for five earlier in the innings. A 38-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Kushi Suryakanth and Inchara Umesh stabilised the innings. Kushi Suryakanth remained unbeaten on 33 and Karnika Karthik contributed 23 as Karnataka reached a defendable total.

Fifteen-year-old Uma Kashvi returned figures of 4-0-18-3, a performance the report described as crucial as Karnataka defended their total. Kashvi's outing came at a notable time for the youngster, who has been registered for the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2027 auction at a base price of Rs 10 lakh. Vidarbha began their chase positively but lost momentum as Karnataka picked up wickets at regular intervals.

Vidarbha's pursuit ended on 134 for seven, with Swara Thakare remaining unbeaten on 32 and Sakshi Bhupal scoring 25 not out. Those contributions were not enough to surpass Karnataka's total, resulting in a six-run defeat for Vidarbha in the quarter-final.

Karnataka will face Baroda in the semi-final on October 24 at the Lady Amritbai Daga College Ground in Nagpur, and Delhi will meet Haryana in the other semi-final at the same venue after the Karnataka–Baroda match.