The spectators turned out in significant numbers at the Chinnaswamy stadium and they weren’t disappointed as Bijapur Bulls and Mysore Maharaajas dished out a run-filled entertainer here on Thursday.
Chasing Maharaajas’ challenging 164 for seven, the Bulls coasted to 165 for three in 17.3 overs to notch up their third win in five matches. When the hunt began, though, Bulls hardly looked the part, losing openers Ravi Khande and Gaurav Dhiman for almost next to nothing. Devraj Patil (45, 33b, 7x4, 1x6), free of his wicket-keeping responsibilities, and Jayaprakash Shetty (76 n.o., 51b, 6x4, 4x6) remained oblivious to the early damage as they went about their demolition job in stunning fashion.
Wondrous stroke after stroke flowed from both their willows and the ball disappeared into the pickets with alarming regularity. Patil eased the nerves, depositing Aditya Sagar over the mid-wicket fence, after which Shetty turned on the heat, turning out to be the main aggressor.
The right-handed duo raised a whopping 116 in mere 66 balls, virtually reducing the match to a no-contest. Stuart Binny, after a forgettable outing with the ball, came up with his own little cameo (28 n.o., 19b, 4x4, 1x6) to apply the finishing touches.
Maharaajas, batting by choice, got off to a stuttering start, losing both their openers, KB Pawan and Sudhir Rao, inside five overs. It was left to skipper Chetan William and Nitin Bhille, who scored 23 each in contrasting styles, to do the repair job. The duo put together 37 for the third wicket as Maharaajas got past the halfway mark at 58 for two without causing much flutter in the Bulls’ camp.
It was only after Shoaib Manager arrived on the scene that the Maharaajas found the much-needed spark. The little right-hander, dropped twice during his 30-ball 59, set the stands afire with five massive sixes and three fours.
With the tail too coming to the party, the Mysore side amassed an impressive 106 runs in the last ten overs that propelled them to what appeared to be a more than competitive total. Bulls, however, certainly thought otherwise.
SCORE BOARD
MYSORE MAHARAAJAS: KB Pawan c Khande b Shetty 3, Sudhir Rao c Desai b Rajashekar 14, Nitin Bhille c Beerala b Rajashekar 23, Chetan William st Khande b Rajashekar 23, Shoaib Manager c Binny b Shetty 59, Abrar Kazi (run out) 12, SP Manjunath c Desai b Shetty 17, Aditya Sagar (not out) 6, MR Darshan (not out) 0. Extras (LB-2, NB-2, W-3) 7. Total (for 7 wkts, 20 overs) 164.
Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Rao), 2-25 (Pawan), 3-62 (William), 4-69 (Bhille), 5-98 (Kazi), 6-155 (Manager), 7-158 (Manjunath).
Bowling: Nitin Mulki 2-0-18-0 (w-1), DV Anish 4-0-26-0, Jayaprakash Shetty 4-0-40-3 (nb-2, w-1), B Rajashekar 4-0-28-3 (w-1), Pranesh Desai 2-0-12-0, Stuart Binny 4-0-38-0.
BIJAPUR BULLS: Ravi Khande (run out) 1, Gaurav Dhiman b Raghavendra 0, Jayaprakash Shetty (not out) 76, Devraj Patil c Pawan b Raghavendra 45, Stuart Binny (not out) 28. Extras (LB-1, NB-1, W-13) 15. Total (for 3 wkts, 17.3 overs) 165.
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Khande), 2-1 (Dhiman), 3-117 (Patil).
Bowling: C Raghavendra 4-0-27-2 (w-5), Aditya Sagar 3.3-0-38-0 (nb-1), Abrar Kazi 3-0-25-0 (w-1), MR Darshan 4-0-30-0, Chetan William 2-0-32-0 (w-6), Tarun Muthanna 1-0-12-0 (w-1).
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