Hampshire star Michael Carberry holds IPL hope

Hampshire batsman Michael Carberry hopes his continued good form will help him gain a place in next year's Indian Premier League.

In-form Carberry hit an unbeaten 100 in the Royals' last-ball win over Lancashire in their T20 quarter final.

It was his first century in T20 cricket and he is hoping his dominance will get him noticed in India.

"It would be nice, all I can do is score the runs that I have," Carberry told BBC Radio Solent.

Carberry is the country's second-highest run scorer in T20 cricket behind Somerset's Craig Kieswetter this season.

The 32-year-old has 496 runs from 10 innings with an average of 62, scoring one century and four 50s.

And the left-handed batsman, who joined Hampshire in 2006, hopes his form over the past couple of years has not gone unnoticed on the subcontinent.

"Hopefully a franchise will look at my runs and offer me the opportunity to play in one of the best tournaments there is," he said.

"Last year I went from strength to strength. I have always been an advocate for not wasting good form and I've developed my game and shots, and the rest is history.

"I would love the opportunity, it looks a fantastic tournament. You are playing against the world's best and for somebody like me, who didn't have the opportunity internationally, it's the next best thing. "

Defending champions Hampshire now join Surrey and Northamptonshire in T20 finals day on Saturday, 17 August at Edgbaston. The remaining quarter-final is between Nottinghamshire and Essex on Thursday.

Carberry, who called his 100 "very satisfying", says confidence is high at the Ageas Bowl as Hampshire head to their fourth consecutive finals day.

"This team is going from strength to strength, it's a very talented bunch of young guys," he said. "It is enjoyable, we have a lot of self belief and we take it seriously."

Lancashire head coach Peter Moores admitted Carberry was the difference between the two sides and believes he is currently the best short-form opener in the country at present.

"He [Carberry] is playing great cricket. If there's a better T20 opener in this country at the moment, I'd like to see him," Moores told BBC Radio Manchester: "

The Red Rose county's wait for a first domestic T20 title continues, but Moores was extremely proud of his team's efforts as they narrowly failed to chase down a victory target of 203.

"You can't help but feel disappointed because we got so close, but I'm very proud of the lads for having such a red-hot go at it," he added.

"It was a great game of cricket. Both sides gave it absolutely everything. We feel flat because we got so close and couldn't quite get over the line."