Bijapur Bulls convincingly defeated Hubli Tigers by nine wickets in the second semifinal of the Karnataka Premier League (KPL)-2018 held at the SDNR Wadiyar Stadium in city yesterday.

Earlier, Hubli Tigers won the toss and elected to bat. They got off to a good start as Mohammed Taha (24) and Abhishek Reddy (42) utilised the filed restrictions during the power-play. But Bhavesh Gulecha pulled off a stunning catch at short third man to dismiss Mohd. Taha of the bowling off K.P. Appanna. Appanna (2 for 28) and K.C. Cariappa (1 for 26) choked the scoring rate. The bowlers kept chipping in with wickets at regular intervals and did not let any batsmen settle. Hubli Tigers were at 95 for 4 at the end of the 15th over. A late onslaught from Kranthi Kumar (24 off 14 balls) took Hubli Tigers to a modest score of 134 for 7 in 20 overs.

In reply, Bijapur Bulls chased the target comfortably without being troubled by the opposition at any point of time. Openers M.G. Naveen (62 n.o.) and Bharath Chipli (73) displayed a positive attitude and kept playing their natural aggressive strokes. M.G. Naveen 62 n.o.  (43b,7×4,3×6) and Bharath Chipli 73 (46b,9×4,3×6) shared a 125 run partnership for the first wicket in 86 balls. Vinay Kumar’s Hubli Tigers were poor with their catching as they dropped a few catches under lights. The Bijapur Bulls stormed home as Naveen sealed the chase with a huge six straight over the bowlers head into the sightscreen. The Bijapur Bulls reached 136 for 1 with more than five overs to spare.

Bijapur Bulls will now lock horns with Bengaluru Blasters in the finals of the KPL 2018 at 6.30 pm today.  Bengaluru Blasters who have been undefeated throughout this season, will be looking to finish their campaign with a victory, but Bijapur Bulls riding on the heroics of skipper Bharath Chipli will be hoping to spoil Bengluru’s winning streak in the Finals.

SCORE

Hubli Tigers: 134 for 7 in 20 overs (Abhishek Reddy 42, K.P. Appanna 2 for 28, M.G. Naveen 2 for 36) lost to Bijapur Bulls: 136 for 1 in 14.5 overs (Bharath Chipli 73, M.G. Naveen 62 n.o); Man of the Match: Bharath Chipli.

Today – FINAL Sept.6 (Thursday)

Bengaluru Blasters Vs Bijapur Bulls 6.40 pm

Venue: SDNR Wadiyar Grounds, Manasagangothri, Mysuru

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