Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20: Sisodia, Srijith lead Hubli Tigers to 7-wicket win over Gulbarga Mystics

Bengaluru:  The Hubli Tigers registered yet another massive victory on Monday, defeating the Gulbarga Mystics by 7 wickets in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 cricket tournament.

In the second encounter of the day, Luvnith Sisodia and Krishnan Srijith registered a mammoth 106-run partnership to ensure the Tigers chased down their target of 139 in just 15.2 overs.

The Hubli Tigers won the toss and elected to field first. Chethan L.R (10) and Adarsh Prajwal (14) looked threatening, but both departed within the Power-play leaving the Mystics at 43/2. The trend persisted throughout the innings; with several batsmen getting starts but failing to convert them into something more substantial.

Youngster Manvanth Kumar was in sublime form spearheading the Tigers’ bowling unit and scalping the middle order comprising K.V Aneesh (16), Smaran R. (15), and Amit Verma (19). Macneil Noronha (23) dispatched the ball into the stands on two occasions but was eventually dismissed by Mitrakanth Yadav.

Sourabh Muttur did well to accumulate 18 runs before Vidwath Kaverappa sent him back to the pavilion. Lavish Kaushal swiftly cleaned up the tail with the wickets of Avinash (6) and Sharan Goud (6), following which Vyshakh Vijaykumar (0) ran himself out to wrap up the innings at 138/10 in 19.3 overs.

In response, the Tigers cruised to victory. Despite the first match’s half-centurion, M. Taha being sent back for a duck by Abhilash Shetty, Luvnith Sisodia (61) and Krishnan Srijith (47) asserted themselves, cracking boundaries at will.

At the end of the Power-play, the Tigers were in a commanding position at 52/1. The barrage continued through the middle overs as both batters blazed their way to a 106-run partnership. Luvnith Sisodia’s half-century came in just 28 deliveries, comprising seven boundaries.

In the eleventh over, Krishnan Srijith was Abhilash Shetty’s second victim of the night, failing to register a deserving half-century, while Luvnith Sisodia was also dismissed by Sharan Goud soon after.

At this stage of the match, the Tigers were well ahead. Naga Bharath and Manish Pandey joined the party and helped the Hubli Tigers complete a dominant victory with 7 wickets and 28 balls to spare.

Brief scores:

Gulbarga Mystics 138 all out in 19.3 overs (Macneil Noronha 23, Amit Verma 19, Sourabh Muttur 17; Manvanth Kumar 3-21, Lavish Kaushal 2-26, Vidhwath Kaverappa 2-24) lost to Hubli Tigers 141/3 in 15.2 overs (Luvnith Sisodia 61, Krishnan Shrijith 47, Manish Pandey 15; Abhilash Shetty 2-23, Sharan Goud 1-8) by 7 wickets.

–IANS