Becomes second batter in tournament’s history to score consecutive centuries as Hubli Tigers thump Bengaluru Blasters in last-ball thriller

Mysuru: Mohammed Taha’s ferocious second consecutive century and Shivkumar Rakshith’s explosive finish lifted the Hubli Tigers to a remarkable last-ball victory against Bengaluru Blasters in the ongoing KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 Tournament at SDNR Wadiyar Stadium here yesterday. 

Chasing a season-high 226 after Rohan Patil’s fluent 80 had headlined the Bengaluru Blasters’ innings, Taha’s 54-ball 101, laced with seven sixes and nine fours, was aided by Abhinav Manohar’s brisk 33 before Shivkumar Rakshith’s two sixes and a four in the final three balls sealed a stunning run chase. The Hubli Tigers set the tone early to finish the powerplay at 58/1. The in-form Mohd. Taha and Prakhar Chaturvedi (18) put on a brisk partnership of 54 runs before latter was run-out in the sixth over.

Mohsin Khan then struck twice in quick succession, removing Devdutt Padikkal (4) and K.P. Karthikeya (7) to check the Tigers’ momentum. Taha brought up a 30-ball fifty and continued his sensational form striking Prateek Jain for two sixes and taking Vaibhav Sharma for two more. He was joined by Abhinav Manohar (33 off 17) and the pair saw the Tigers through the 150-run mark in just 14 overs. Manohar looked to make light work of the chase with two fours and two sixes but M.G. Naveen snapped him up in the 16th over with the equation asking for 53 runs in 27 balls.

Taha’s tremendous effort came to an end after a phenomenal catch by Vidyadhar Patil at deep-point off the bowling of Prateek Jain, setting up a thrilling finish. Manvanth Kumar (18 off 9) and Samarth Nagraj  (12 off 9) looked on track to finish proceedings but a frugal penultimate over from Vidyadhar Patil that included the wicket of Manvanth, left the Tigers needing 17 runs off the final over. Shivkumar Rakshith (18 off 6) hammered two sixes and a four in the final three balls to secure a thrilling victory for the Hubli Tigers.

Mangaluru Dragons beat Shivamogga Lions

In the other match, Kranthi Kumar’s first fifer helped Mangaluru Dragons to register a strong 29-run win over Shivamogga Lions. This was Mangaluru Dragons second consecutive win putting them on top of the table along with Hubli Tigers at the end of Day Four’s play.

Having put into bat first, Mangaluru Dragons scored 178/8 in 20 overs. Wicket Keeper B.R. Sharath scored 70 runs of 31 balls. He was helped by K.V. Aneesk (32) and Aadarsh (20). For Shivamogga Lions V. Koushik scalped three wickets and Vidwath Kaverappa picked up a wicket. In reply, Shivamogga Lions were restricted to 150/8 in 20 overs with Kranthi Kumar picking up with a figure of 5/37.

Brief Scores: Bengaluru Blasters 225/6 in 20 overs (Rohan Patil 80, Rohan Naveen 24 not out, M.G. Naveen 27 not out, Yash Raj Punja 3/43, K.C. Cariappa 2/25) lost to Hubli Tigers 228/8 in 20 overs (Mohd. Taha 101, Abhinav Manohar 33, Shivkumar Rakshith 18 not out, Mohsin Khan 2/24)

Mangaluru Dragons 179/8 in 20 overs (B.R. Sharath 70, K.V. Aneesk 32, Aadarsh Prajwal 20, V. Koushik 3/23, Vidwath Kaverappa 1/43) beat Shivamogga Lions 150/8 in 20 overs (K. Rohit  62, D. Avinash 25, Tushar Singh 23, Kranthi Kumar 5/37, Santokh Singh 2/35).

Today’s Matches (Aug. 14)

Mysore Warriors Vs Mangaluru Dragons    3.15 pm

Gulbarga Mystics Vs Bengaluru Blasters     7.15 pm

Venue: SDNR Wadiyar Stadium, Manasagangothri

Catch the live action on Star Sports 1 (English)

and Star Sports 1 Kannada and FanCode