Maharaja T20 League 2022: Sisodia, Shivakumar wallop Hubli Tigers

The 23rd match of the Maharaja T20 League 2022 saw Hubli Tigers' dominance as Shivamogga Strikers in literal terms were pinned down to the mat by the former.

Luvnith Sujith Sisodia being given man-of-the-match award [PC: Twitter]

While Vasuki Koushik's sublime two-wicket haul hit the Strikers hard, Luvnith Sujith Sisodia and BU Shivakumar packed the final punch in the Tigers' eight-wicket win.

An effortless chase

In their pursuit of 147 runs, the Tigers were hardly tested with toughness. The chase seemed nothing but a duck soup as their openers Sisodia and Shivakumar knocked it out of the park.

As Sisodia's hitting prowess took care of the required rate, Shivakumar's job was restricted to strike rotation. Both the batters left very little for others to do, forming a colossal 107-run stand for the first wicket.

While Abhimanyu Mithun's struggle with the bat continued, Shivakumar with his gritty 61-run knock made up for his teammate's failure. Liyan Khan's 12-ball 19 made sure that Hubli romp home with eight wickets to spare in the 18th over. 

An innings beyond comprehension 

As it could be seen, the Strikers' batting approach was tough to comprehend. The second innings brings into picture the pitch's friendly nature for the batters. However, Krishnappa Gowtham and Co.'s extra cautious method added up their misery.

Stallin Hoover had the highest strike-rate of 152 in the whole batting line-up while scoring 38 runs today. Despite scoring at a relatively slow pace, Shivamogga failed to even preserve wickets and faltered throughout, eventually completing their 20 overs for 146/5.

What's next in store?

Shivamogga Strikers' next challenge will come in the form of Mangalore United on August 20. Hubli Tigers will lock horns with Bengaluru Blasters on August 21.