Abhimanyu Mithun's fightback steers Hubli Tigers to a 4-wicket victory over Bengaluru
An exceptional batting display from Abhimanyu Mithun and BU Shivakumar helped Hubli Tigers recover from a terrible batting collapse and register a thumping four-wicket win over Bengaluru Blasters in the sixth match of the Maharaja T20 Trophy 2022 on Tuesday, August 9.
Hubli Tigers, while chasing the VJD calculated target of 137 in 16 overs were dealt with a huge blow losing their opener Sujith Sisodia cheaply in the second over.
Sisodia's early dismissal opened the floodgates as Hubli Tigers kept losing wickets at regular intervals with BU Shivakumar holding the one edge firmly.
The right-handed batter knocked 30 off 28 balls before Jagadeesha Suchith ended his stay on the crease by rattling his timbers on a stunning flighted delivery. Just after a gap of one over, Kranthi Kumar dismissed Sagar Solanki (13) to leave the Tigers reeling at 87/6.
A twist in the tale awaits
For a moment, it seemed that the Hubli Tigers had lost the plot while chasing, but a twist in the story was waiting to stun the cricket fanatics.
Skipper Abhimanyu Mithun, who came to bat at number seven amid the ruins showed nerves of steel and took the Bengaluru bowlers to the cleaners.
Mithun hammered two fours and five maximums in his unbeaten 51 off 22 balls as Hubli Tigers got over the line with one ball remaining and four wickets in hand.
Saurabh Srivastav remained unbeaten for 9 on the other side. The left-arm orthodox spinner Jagadeesha Suchith was largely responsible for the Hubli Tigers' early collapse. The Bengaluru bowler claimed two wickets in his spell of three overs while conceding 22 runs.
Mayank Agarwal's blitz propels Bengaluru to a decent total
Earlier after being put in to bat first, Bengaluru Blasters suffered an early blow when the opener Chethan LR (5) was adjudged out lbw in just the second over, but a brilliant onslaught by skipper Mayank Agarwal, who plundered 43 off 38 provided their innings with much-needed momentum.
Aneesh KV (12-ball 14) and Ajay Ahuja (19-ball 20) then tonked a few in the middle to steady the ship but couldn't contribute much.
Jagadeeshan Suchith (12* off 9) and Shivkumar Rakshith (15* off 7) were looking in an ominous touch but rain Gods had other plans as Blasters finished with 119/5 on board (in 16 overs).
Saurabh Srivastav had a decent outing with the ball for Hubli Tiger as he finished his spell of four overs with two wickets and gave away only 31 runs.
It was the Hubli Tigers' first win in two games while it was the first loss of the season for the Mayank Agarwal-led Bengaluru after they started their tournament campaign on a winning note.
Brief Score
Bengaluru Blasters: 119/5 (16 Overs)
Mayank Agarwal 43 (38), S Ajya Ahuja 20 (19);
Saurabh Srivastav 2-31 (4)
Hubli Tigers: 139/6 (15.5 Overs)
Abhimanyu Mithun 51 (22)*, BU Shivakumar 30 (28);
Jagadeesha Suchith 2-21 (3)
Hubli Tigers won by 4 wickets. (VJD Method)
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