It took an unprecedented three super overs to separate Hubli Tigers and Bengaluru Blasters in the Maharaja Trophy T20 encounter between the two teams on Friday in Bengaluru. (More Cricket News)
After scores were tied at the end of the innings of both sides, two super overs also could not produce results as the Manish Pandey-led Tigers refused to budge in front of Mayank Agarwal-led Blasters. In the third super over, Manvanth Kumarwere emerged as hero as his last ball boundary helped Hubli Tigers seal two points in a nail-biting encounter. Manvanth had already given his best in the regulation time, scoring a quick-fire 28 and taking 4/33. He was adjudged the Player of the Match.
Earlier in the day Bengaluru’s Lavish Kaushal logged the first five wicket haul of the season to bowl out Hubli Tigers for 164. Thippa Reddy (7) fell early, Mohd. Taha gave the Hubli innings a jump-start hoisting two sixes and two fours off Santok Singh in the third over to race to 31 runs in 14 balls. Lavish Kaushal picked Taha in the fifth over with the Hubli Tigers finishing the powerplay at 53/2.
Shubhang Hegde broke through in his first over with the wicket of KL Shrijith (9) and Karthikeya KP (13) became Lavish Kaushal’s second wicket of the night. It was Manish Pandey (33) and Aneeshwar Gautam (30) who kept the innings afloat in the middle overs, building a partnership of 57 runs in 40 balls. However, both batsmen would perish in the 16th over, dismissed by Lavish Kaushal, leaving the Hubli Tigers at 131/6.
Manvanth Kumar played a high impact innings in the death overs, finding 28 runs in his 15-ball knock, before he was run out in the last ball of the innings. The wickets had tumbled around him as Kranthi Kumar bested KC Cariappa and Adarsh Prajwal in the 17th over and Lavish Kaushal picked up his fifth wicket through Kumar LR, restricting Hubli Tigers to 164/10.
Skipper Manish Pandey top scored for Tigers with 22-ball 33 consisting of three sixes.
Blasters captain Mayank Agarawal (54) also replied well with a half-century. However, despite Agarwal batting well, Blasters had a mixed start.
Chasing 165, the Bengaluru Blasters lost Chethan LR to Vidwath Kaverappa in the first over. Coming in at number three, Niranjan Naik showed intent, cracking four boundaries including a six, but Kaverappa ensured the end of Naik in the fifth over. Mayank Agarawal hit five boundaries in the powerplay, but the Bengaluru Blasters struggled, finishing the phase at 48/3 after Manvanth Kumar dismissed Shubhang Hegde for a duck in the sixth over.
The runs were hard to come by as Mayank Agarawal and Rakshit S (11) put on only 26 runs in 29 balls. In pursuit of a higher run rate, Rakshit S would become Manvanth’s second wicket of the day. Soon after Mayank Agarawal completed his half-century in 29 balls, including eight fours, he was caught behind off the bowling of Manvanth Kumar, leaving the Bengaluru Blasters in trouble at 96/5 in 13.2 overs.
Suraj Ahuja (26) and Anirudha Joshi (17) combined for 27 brisk runs. In the 17th over, Ahuja was run out and Joshi was bagged by Manvanth Kumar. With 30 runs needed off 18 balls, Naveen MG added the finishing touch, working three boundaries and a six in his 11-ball knock before he was picked up by Kumar LR in the 19th over. Bengaluru Blasters needed one run off the last ball of the innings, but Kranthi Kumar was run out to finish the innings with a tie.
Both teams scored 10 runs in the first super over and eight runs in the second. In the third super over, Tigers chased down 13 runs through a boundary on the last ball.
Brief Scores
Hubli Tigers won by Super Over
Super Over (3)
Bengaluru Blasters 12/1 in 1 over (Shubhang Hegde 7* runs off 3 balls, Suraj Ahuja 4* runs off 3 balls, Manvanth Kumar 1/11)
Hubli Tigers 13/0 in 1 over (Manvanth Kumar 11* runs off 4 balls, Manish Pandey 1* runs off 3 balls)
Super Over (2)
Hubli Tigers 8/0 in 1 over (Manish Pandey 7* runs off 4 balls, Manvanth Kumar 1* run off 2 balls)
Bengaluru Blaster 8/1 (Chethan LR 5* runs off 3 balls, Suraj Ahuja 2* runs off 2 balls)
Super Over (1)
Bengaluru Blasters 10/1 (Anirudha Joshi 8* runs off 4 balls, Chethan LR 1* run off 2 balls)
Hubli Tigers 10/0 (Manvanth Kumar 2* runs off 2 balls, Manish 8* runs off 4 balls)
Hubli Tigers 164/10 in 20 overs (Manish Pandey 33 runs off 22 balls, Aneeshwar Gautam 30 runs off 24 balls, Manvanth Kumar 27 runs off 15 balls, Lavish Kaushal 5/17, Kranthi Kumar 2/33)
Bengaluru Blasters 164/10 in 20 overs (Mayank Agarawal 54 runs off 34 balls, Suraj Ahuja 26 runs off 20 balls, Naveen MG 23 runs off 11 balls, Manvanth Kumar 4/32, Vidhwath Kaverappa 2/35)
