JEDDAH — Elaf and Rising Stars qualified for the UPL Elite Cup final following thrilling semifinal wins here. Elaf beat Target Guys in the first qualifier by 31 runs. Target batsmen exhibited their skills in flashes, but Elaf's bowlers cornered them for mere 70. Suresh with 22 and Shumsu with 19 battled hard to rebuild the innings. Madhura put Target, the group leader, under severe pressure by claiming 3 wickets for 8 runs, while Amjad and Aamir seized a wicket apiece. Rishan (35) and Qamar (19) crafted the chase after losing opener Amir early. The target was comfortably achieved in the 7th over. Zawahir grabbed 1-17. In the first match, Rising Stars put on 119. Rafaqat displayed his array of typical nudges and jabs to graft his way to 40 in 18 balls, while Qaiser (28) and Asela (15) made useful contributions. Only Usman burst through the batting line up grasping 2 for 30. Kerala never managed a purposeful response as it lost by 39 runs despite Usman's fabulous 53 not out effort. Rafaqat, Tanveer and Qaisar grabbed a wicket apiece. — SG