APL 2022 | RYLS vs BZW | Rain brings down curtains on Rayalaseema Kings' campaign, Bezawada Tigers qualify for final

As relentless showers forced the umpires to call off the fixture with only four overs into the second innings, Bezawada Tigers proceeded to the tournament's final owing to their superior place in the league standings

In another abandoned fixture, rain played a significant role as it came down to luck in the second qualifier of the Andhra Premier League (APL) 2022 between Rayalaseema Kings (RYLS) and Bezawada Tigers (BZW).

Rain marked its presence when BZW's score read 29/1 at the end of four overs. 

Chasing 187 runs in a knockout clash was never going to be easy, and adding to it, losing an in-form batter, which in this case was K Maheep Kumar, would have indeed made the task more challenging for the Tigers. 

However, to Ricky Bhui and Co.'s blessing, rain helped them as it started pelting after the fourth-over mark. Following this, no further play was possible, which confirmed the Tigers' participation in the magnum opus of the competition.

The trio of Abhishek, Rasheed and Girinath send Kings to lofty perch

After being put in to bat, Rayalaseema Kings were off to a rollicking start with their openers constructing a 62-run stand. Most importantly, the middle-order batters capitalized on the start, setting a formidable target of 187 for the opposition. 

While Abhishek Reddy's 27-ball 41 provided the required platform to RYLS, Shaik Rasheed and Girinath Reddy struck a 77-run partnership that pushed the Kings to 186 for three wickets. 

Also read: Making a comeback when you are 35-plus was never going to be easy: Dinesh Karthik

Brief scores:

Rayalaseema Kings: 186/3 (20)

Girinath Reddy 53*(26), Abhishek Reddy 41(27);

Lalith Mohan 2-29 (4), Manish Golamaru 1-25 (4)

Bezawada Tigers: 29/1 (4)

Maddala A Praneeth  24*(19); 

B Santosh Kumar 1-22 (2)

The match was abandoned, and Bezawada Tigers entered the final due to their superiority in the league standings.