Mysore 9 Aug : Gulbarga Mystics won an extremely close game against Shivamogga Strikers by 3 wickets at the Srikantadatta Narasimha Raja Wadiyar Ground on Tuesday. This was the Gulbarga team’s first win in the tournament, as even five wickets for Avinash D was not enough to bring the Strikers over the line.
Batting first at first, the Shivamogga Strikers lost Stallin Hoover in the second delivery of the innings, but Rohan Kadam and Siddharth stopped the Gulbarga Mystics attack.Both Rohan and Siddharth were alert to begin with but then picked up the pace shortly following the powerplay with the spinners cleaned up for a brief time.
Rohan scored 53 runs from 41 deliveries, slamming three boundaries as well as two sixes,.Siddharth in the opposite direction added 53 runs from 51 balls, scoring five boundaries and six in his time.
The pair put up an impressive 108-run stand that did not only keep the ship in a steady state but also set the stage for a roar in the closing overs of the innings.
But, Sharath BR (9), Smaran R (3) did not make the most of the opportunity the opportunity, leaving captain K Gowtham (23) and Avinash D (20) to do the massive lifting with three sixes in the pair of them.
In Gulbarga, Karthik CA picked 3 wickets, while the Strikers scored 175/8.
In response the Mystics started off to a fast beginning with Devdutt Padikkal holding one end while Jeswath Acharya was on the offensive.
Padikkal was the first player to leave to leave for nine in the fifth ball, following which Jeswath and Rohan Patil set about constructing the innings.
But, Jeswath could not kick off and was sent off for 30 runs from 17 deliveries.
Rohan Patil was able to add 28 more to the cause, but captain Manish Pandey and Krishnan Shrijith crafted 32 runs before the latter took the trek back to the pavilion. While Manish was in the area, The Mystics were in a good position of getting the chase going however he lost another teammate shortly after Manoj Bhandage was reprimanded for 5.Then, a few hours later Bangalore Mohith was also sent back for 1 putting the Mystics in a state of trouble.
The 18th over was when Manish finished his fifty with the game at the edge of a knife.
Then there was twist when Manish was dismissed with a score of 50 after 36 deliveries.
But, Ritesh Bhatkal wasn’t giving in and the equation was brought down to the 4 required in the last over.
Karthik CA finished off the game with an unbeaten boundary, giving the Mystics the much-needed victory.
The three-week T20 extravaganza will be broadcast live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports Kannada.
It will also stream live through the Fancode app for greater consumption. Wednesday will be a day of action with Mysore Warriors taking on Hubli Tigers at 3pm, while Mangalore United play Shivamogga Strikers in the 7pm match both in Mysore.
Short Scores: Shivamogga Strikers – 175/8 in 20 overs (Rohan Kadam – 53, Siddharth 53, Karthik CA – 3/30 V Kaverappa – 248) defeated by 3 wickets to Gulbarga Mystics – 1707/7 in 19.1 overs (Manish Pandey 50, Jeswath Acharya – 30, Avinash D – 5/40, Rajvir Wadhwa – 1/8)
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