Indian Airlines’ players seem to be in a tearing hurry. They flew out on Tuesday morning, before the second quarterfinalist from their Group ‘D’ could be decided. Having lost a match and drawn another, IA had reason to believe they were out of the tournament, especially with ONGC enjoying a superior run rate, and didn’t show the patience to wait for the other team to officially qualify for the knockout stage. As luck would have it, ONGC not only lost to Tamil Nadu but also saw their run rate dip below that of Airlines.

As a result, Airlines earned the right to contest against KSCA XI for a place in the semis, but by the time they assembled all 11 players, a good 65 minutes of playing time had been lost. The hosts were sportive enough to agree to resume play despite the rival team’s inordinate delay in arriving at the venue, but the generosity didn’t extend beyond that.

After their bowlers’ clinical performance, KSCA openers Bharath Chipli and KB Pawan finished off the job in style to eke out a facile 10-wicket win and make it to the semifinals of their own all-India invitation tournament at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday.

After having put a dreary-eyed Airlines in to bat first, the KSCA pacers rattled them with a fine exhibition of fast bowling. Gaurav Dhiman, in particular, was impressive, bagging a five-wicket haul (5/15) to break the back of the Airlines’ innings. The young pacer ran though the top and lower order to help KSCA bowl out Airlines for a paltry 113 in 41.5 overs. The right-arm fast bowler received ample support from fellow pacemen R Vinay Kumar, S Dhananjaya and Umesh Karvi, who were all amongst the wickets. Opener Ishan Ganda (24) alone offered some resistance, while the rest crumbled without a trace.

Chipli and Pawan then showed little regard for the Airlines bowlers to reach the target in 22.2 overs. Chipli, the more aggressive of the two, remained undefeated on 68 off 67 balls decorated with eight fours and three sixes while Pawan, playing second fiddle, helped himself to 43 (67b, 8x4).

Teja’s double ton
At JIRS, Hyderabad Cricket Association sent Chemplast on a leather hunt, stacking up an imposing 483 for nine in 100 overs. Ravi Teja DB struck 204 (266b, 17x4, 4x6) while Ambati Rayudu (102, 136b, 9x4, 1x6) and D Vinay Kumar (113 n.o., 128b, 5x4, 1x6) slammed a ton each.

It was not just the Hyderabad batsmen who were in the modd to make merry. At IAF, KSCA Colts ran up a mammoth 415 for nine in 100 overs against KSCA President’s XI. SN Amith, who struck 114 (206b, 20x4), led the Colts’ assault while Stuart Binny (98, 107b, 10x4, 2x6), Keshav Chitta (69 n.o., 93b, 10x4, 1x6) and R Jonathan (56, 86b, 12x4) contributed their might.   

The ordeal for bowlers continued at the RSI ground, where Anirudha Srikkanth hit a belligerent 163 (159b, 18x4, 4x6) to power Tamil Nadu to 316 all out in 55.4 overs against Kerala Cricket Association. Kerala were reeling at 117 for six from 41 overs in their reply. 

Brief scores: At Chinnaswamy: Indian Airlines: 113 all out in 41.5 overs (S Dhanajaya 2-35, Gaurav Dhiman 5-15) lt to KSCA XI: 114/0 in 22.2 overs (Bharath Chipli 68 n.o., KB Pawan 43 n.o.).

At JIRS: Hyderabad Cricket Association: 483/9 in 100 overs (Ravi Teja DB 204, Ambati Rayudu 102, D Vinay Kumar 113 n.o.; R Suthesh 2-88, R Ramkumar 5-36) vs Chemplast:

At RSI: Tamil Nadu CA: 316 all out in 55.4 overs (Anirudha Srikkanth 163, S Vasudev Dass K 54, R Ashwin 65; Prashanth P 4-43, S Aneesh 3-72). vs Kerala CA: 117/6 in 41 overs (Jagadeesh 41).

At IAF: KSCA Colts: 415/9 in 100 overs (SN Amith 114, Suraj Sampath 26, R Jonathan 56, Stuart Binny 98, Keshav Chitta 69 n.o.; Raju Bhatkal 3-62, Ryan Ninan 4-123) vs KSCA President's XI.