Pune: PBG Kolhapur Tuskers captain Rahul Tripathi smashed an unbeaten 68 as Kolhapur thrashed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings (CSK) by 10 wickets in their Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) match at the MCA International Stadium here Saturday.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings were 122 for 7 when rain halted the play for over an hour. When the play resumed, Kolhapur came out to bat, their target was revised to 93 off 11 overs.
On Friday, Kolhapur had let the win slip from their grasp after the dismissal of Tripathi against Raigad Royals. On Saturday, the same mistake wasn’t repeated.
Tripathi (67*, 29b, 11x4s, 2x6s) went on a rampage from the word go. He fetched one boundary off the first over by Pranay Singh. The second over by Anand Thenge went for 23 as Tripathi hammered four fours and a six.
Batting at the other end, Ankeet Bawne (26, 15b, 3x4s, 1×6) showed his experience. He rotated the strike well to put his captain back on the strike at every possible opportunity. But he also ensured bad balls were put to the fence without mercy.
By the time three overs of power play ended, Tuskers were 42 for no loss, the contest effectively over with every over fetching at least a boundary.
The fourth over by Rajvardhan Hangargekar earned Tripathi 10 runs. The pace of Hangargekar meant that Tripathi’s pull went deep into the stand, by far the best shot of the day. Tripathi smashed the first two balls of Hangargekar’s second and match’s eighth over for two boundaries to finish the game.
Earlier, asked to bat, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings again got off to a poor start. Captain Murtaza Trunkwala (2, 7b) demoted himself to No. 4 but pacer Nihal Tusamad (2 for 17) reduced them to 36 for 3 by the end of the power play.
CSK’s man in form Onkar Khatpe (39, 31b, 4x4s, 2x6s) was once again the top scorer. He put on a partnership of 38 runs for the fourth wicket with Om Bhosale (21, 19b, 2x6s) before he holed out to Tusamad off Yogesh Dongare. When it looked like Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings would up the ante, rain halted their march at 122 for 6.
This is PBG Kolhapur Tuskers’ first win after four straight defeats. It lifts them off the bottom of the table on NRR. On the other hand, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings remain second with four points (2 wins, 4 matches) on NRR. Brief scores: Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings: 122 for 6 in 17 overs (Onkar Khatpe 39, Om Bhosale 21, Saurabh Singh 21; Nihal Tusamad 2-17) lost to PBG Kolhapur Tuskers: 94 for 0 in 7.2 (Rahul Tripathi 67*, Ankeet Bawne 26*) by 10 wickets. (DLS method).
