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Manjunath batters United

Opener slams 92 as Provident cruise to 36-run win in opening game
Last Updated 09 September 2009, 18:22 IST
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Bangalore Provident provided a major share of the fun while carving out a 36-run win over Mangalore United at the Chinnaswamy stadium here on Wednesday.

Breezy half-centuries from VS Thilak Nadidu (74, 55b, 9x4, 1x6) and man of the match MK Manjunath powered Provident to an imposing 192 for two in 20 overs after B Akhil opted to bat. Mangalore were never really in the hunt, finishing at 156 for eight despite a well-crafted half-century from Jonathan Rongsen.

Manjunath essayed an exqusiute drive through covers off left-arm paceman S Arvind for four off the tournament’s first ball to provide an indication of things to come. A brief lull followed as Manjunath and Naidu settled in nicely.

Double demolition

Once the duo started their destruction work, there was no looking back as Mangalore bowlers wilted under a barrage of shots on either side of the wicket.

Manjunath (94, 59b, 12x4, 1x6) was in exceptional form, amassing runs at breakneck speed without resorting to crude methods.

On a pitch on which the ball came on nicely, Manjunath kept his concentration going to perfection. Naidu, a veteran of many a battle, did not attempt anything fancy, concentrating on giving as much strike as possible to his junior colleague. There was a touch of bravery to his innings too as the wicketkeeper-batsman suffered an ankle-twist in the budding stages of his innings. With MR Darshan as runner, the steely player never allowed the discomfort to affect his batting. With both openers in superb nick, the first 10 overs produced 84 runs, and the partnership blossomed into gigantic proportions to power Provident to a formidable position. Their 168-run alliance that consumed 18 overs made it mandatory for Mangalore to produce an equally brilliant effort.

Consistant Aiyappa

But with the Provident bowlers, led by NC Aiyappa, maintaining the segue, Mangalore could not get off the blocks in desired fashion.

Even when Jonathan (63, 37b, 5x4, 4x6) waded into the bowling with a sparkling array of shots, Mangalore’s fate was frighteningly obvious.

The lone bright spot in their innings was the 82-run partnership between Jonathon and SN Ameeth for the fourth wicket, but Aiyappa's two-wicket burst had already done the damage.

Score board

Bangalore Provident: MK Manjunath c R Sabharwal b S Arvind 92; VS Thilak Naidu c R Sabharwal b S Arvind 74; Amith Verma (not out) 12; B Akhil (not out) 2; Extras (LB-2, NB-1, W-9) 12; Total (for 2 wkts in 20 overs) 192.
Fall of wickets: 1-168, 2-187.
Bowling: S Arvind 4-0-40-2, Kiran Kumar 4-0-33-0, DC Rajesh 4-0-39-0, Udit Patel 3-0-27-0 (w-1), Bharath Chipli 2-0-21-0, SK Moinuddin 3-0-27-0.
Mangalore United: Bharath Chipli c Akhil b Aiyappa 0; Karun Nair b Aiyappa 6; KV Bharath (run out) 3; Jonathan Rongsen c Aiyyappa b Katti 63; SN Ameet c Akhil b Darshan 33; Rohit Sabarwal c A Joshi b Katti 5; Udit Patel c Katti b Aiyappa 8; DC Rajesh b Akhil 8; Kiran Kumar (not out) 13; S Arvind (not out) 6; Extras (LB-1, W-10) 11; Total (for 8 wkts, 20 overs) 156.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-11, 3-16, 4-98, 5-110, 6-117, 7-126, 8-133.
Bowling: NC Aiyappa 4-0-20-3, Sunil Kumar 3-0-26-0, B Akhil 4-0-31-1, Anand Katti 4-0-21-2, Sarfraz Ashraf 2-0-14-0, MR Darshan 2-0-29-1, Amit Verma 1-0-14-0.

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(Published 09 September 2009, 18:18 IST)

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