Pune: 4S Puneri Bappa must’ve thought they had Ratnagiri Jets on the mat when Azim Kazi was trapped in front, the Jets still needing 54 off 30 balls.
But then the Ratnagiri Jets did what they do best. They kept their cool and romped home with four wickets and two balls to spare for their fourth straight win of the Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) 2024 match at the MCA International stadium here Friday.
It was fitting that Man-of-the-match Satyajeet Bachhav (17*, 6b, 2x4s, 1×6), struck the winning four, having already scalped 4 for 24 from his four overs earlier in the innings.
At the other end was Nikhil Naik, a veteran of Maharashtra cricket, who had walked in at 72 for 4. He brought all his experience to the fore, took the game deep and kept his composure even with the equation down to 35 off the last three overs.
Before that, it looked like the Ratnagiri Jets were heading towards their first loss when they lost skipper Kazi. Pune, who substituted their skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad for the second innings, had managed to control the game through their spinners – left-arm spinner Sohan Jamale (1-40), and chinaman Roshan Waghsare (2-15) in the middle phase.
However, Ratnagiri showcased why they are such a champion team, with a calm and composed display. Ratnagiri are on eight points, while Pune are on two points, having won only one game out of four games.
Earlier, opener Pavan Shah (32, 19b, 5x4s) had given 4S Puneri Bappa a brisk start. But his opening partner Neel Gandhi (7, 18b, 1×4) had undone all the good work done by Shah.
Pune innings gained momentum with Yash Kshirsagar (24, 29b, 1×4) and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (29, 15b, 1×4, 1×6) putting the pressure on Ratnagiri fielders with an excellent running between the wicket.
Pune lost the plot when their talisman and captain got run out in the most unfortunate circumstances. While completing a second run, Ruturaj’s bat got struck in the pitch on the edge of the crease and he lost his grip on the bat. Jets keeper Naik whipped the bails off in a flash. With nothing behind the line, Gaikwad was deemed out.
From then on, Pune were caught in the spin web of Satyajeet Bachhav. Bachhav had figures of 4 for 14 from 3.4 overs but a four and six of the last two balls of his spell ruined his figures. However, the pressure he created had done the trick and Pune were bowled out on the penultimate ball of the innings for 144. Brief scores: 4S Puneri Bappa: all out 144 in 19.5 overs (Pavan Shah 32, Ruturaj Gaikwad 29; Satyajeet Bachhav 4-24) lost to Ratnagiri Jets: 148 for 6 in 19. 4 (Azim Kazi 31, Nikhil Naik 27*; Roshan Waghsare 4-0-15-2) by six wickets.
