Manvanth Kumar (3/23), Luvnith Sisodia (69) continue to impress as the Hubli Tigers maintain unbeaten run ~
~ Pranav Bhatia’s (46* and 1/27) efforts go in vain as the Shivamogga Lions slump to second to consecutive defeat ~
Bengaluru, August 19th, 2023: The Hubli Tigers romped home to their fifth consecutive victory after beating the Shivamogga Lions by eight wickets and 20 balls remaining in the Shriram Capital Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, powered by FanCode. Luvnith Sisodia (69 off 46 balls) and Manvanth Kumar (3 for 23) ensured that the Hubli Tigers cruised to a comfortable victory in the battle of the big cats at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Invited to bat by Hubli Tigers’ captain Manish Pandey, the Shivamogga Lions struggled to get going as they lost openers Nihal Ullal (3) and Rohan Kadam (14) along with Rohit K (3) early and limped their way to their lowest powerplay score in this tournament, managing just 33 runs for the loss of three wickets. With the wicket gripping and the Hubli spinners making full use of the conditions, the Shivamogga batters inched their way to a total of 49-3 by the end of the 10th over. Rohan Naveen (18) soon gave in to the pressure as he hit Manvanth Kumar straight to long off, bringing Abhinav Manohar out to the crease. Skipper Shreyas Gopal (10) and Kranthi Kumar (0) were scalped off successive deliveries from leg-spinner Praveen Dubey to leave Shivamogga reeling at 59-6 after 12 overs. Manohar (10) soon fell to a slower ball for the 4th time in as many games, this time ending up as Manvanth Kumar’s third victim of the night.
Pranav Bhatia (46* off 30 balls) and S Shivraj (21) revived the innings for Shivamogga by adding 37 off 25 balls before the latter was dismissed in the final over. Bhatia then smashed 3 sixes off Lavish Kaushal as the team ended their innings on 138-8 with the pick of the Hubli bowlers being Manvanth Kumar, finishing with figures of 3 for 23.
The Hubli tigers, in response, painted a contrasting picture, by the end of the powerplay, openers Luvnith Sisodia (69) and Md. Taha (37) scored seven fours and three sixes between them on their way to a score of 58-0 after 6 overs.
Md. Taha was dismissed by Shreyas Gopal after he had added 85 runs off 58 balls with Luvnith Sisodia. The fall of his opening partner didn’t deter Sisodia as he reached his half century in 36 balls. He went on to strike a few more lusty blows before he was eventually gotten rid of by Pranav Bhatia after having scored 69 off 46 balls, laced with 10 fours and two sixes.
Naga Bharath (23*) and KL Shrijith (6*) finished the task at hand with ease as the Hubli Tigers went on to beat the Shivamogga Lions by eight wickets with 20 balls remaining, handing them their second consecutive defeat and in the process continuing their unbeaten run in the tournament.
Brief Scores
Hubli Tigers won by 8 wickets with 20 balls remaining
Shivamogga Lions 138-8 in 20 overs: (Pranav Bhatia 46* off 30 balls, S Shivraj 21 off 14 balls, Rohan Naveen 18 off 25 balls, Manvanth Kumar 3-23, Praveen Dubey 2-15, KC Cariappa 1-27)
Hubli Tigers 139-2 in 16.4 overs: (Luvnith Sisodia 69 off 46 balls, Md. Taha 37 off 26 balls, Naga Bharath (23* off 21 balls, Pranav Bhatia 1-27, Shreyas Gopal 1-41)
