Beerala takes Mangalore home

Cricket: Mantri Karnataka Premier League: Right-hander scores crafty fifty to help his team register eight-wicket victory

Those presented at the Gangotri Glades might not have envisaged Bulls chasing down 179 set by United after batting by choice. But Beerala (61, 39b, 7x4, 3x6) first in the company of Gaurav Dhiman and then with Stuart Binny marshalled the hunt to perfection as Bulls emerged winners by a long distance, 2.4 overs to spare to be precise.

As usual Dhiman was explosive, smashing his way to the fastest KPL fifty (22 balls) so far and he dominated the 93-run alliance with Beerala. The ferocity of the twin storms was such that those runs came in just seven overs.

After starting the chase with a pulled six off H Venkatesh, Beerala wisely played the second fiddle seeing the mood Dhiman was in. But occasionaly he came out of the shell to play some audacious shots like a flat-batted six off paceman DC Rajesh that sailed over long-on.

But Dhiman, who received a life on 40, could not have denied his part in the show.
The powerful all-rounder took SK Moinuddin to cleaners, striking the left-arm spinner for 26 runs in his first over, the sequence reading 4, 6, 4, 6, 6. However, Dhiman's innings was not just build on the brutal, a late cut off S Arvind marked his penchant for the elegant. Dhiman (57, 24b, 7x4, 3x6), however, did not last long, his attempt to loft Rajesh over mid-off ending in the hands of Moinuddin. But his dimissal did not slowed down the scoring as Beerala and Binny added 57 runs for the second wicket in just 41 balls. It was at this stage Beerala shifted into overdrive, preferring the V between long-on and long-off to amass a good number of his runs and the affected parties of his aggressie intents were off-spinner Udit Patel and Moinuddin.

Earlier, Mangalore cruised to 178 for five riding on Jonathan Rongsen's quick half-century (73, 46b, 3x4, 5x6) and cameos from Rohit Sabarwal (26) and Nikhil Haldipur (37). On any other day such a knocks and such a total would have paved the way for a romp.
But the day belonged to Bulls. Of course to Beerala and Dhiman too.

SCORE BOARD

MANGALORE UNITED: Rohit Sabarwal c Anish b Jagan 26, Bharat Chipli c D Patil b Anish 2, Nikhil Haldipur b JP Shetty 37, Jonathan Rongsen c Shetty b Binny 73, Udit Patel c Surendra Binny 26, DC Rajesh (not out) 0, Vijay Chavan (not out) 2. Extras (LB-4, NB-1, W-7) 12. Total (for 5 wkts, 20 overs) 178.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-49, 3-133, 4-176, 5-176.

Bowling: Jaya Prakash Shetty 4-0-31-1, DV Anish 4-0-26-1, Abhishek Jagan 3-0-28-1, Stuart Binny 3-0-30-2, Daniel Liao 4-0-39-0, Praveen Kumar 2-0-20-0.

BIJAPUR BULLS: Mithun Beerala c Arvind b Moinuddin 61, Gaurav Dhiman c Moinuddin Rajesh 57, Stuart Binny (not out) 48, Devraj Patil (not out) 10. Extras (NB-1, W-2) 3. Total (for 2 wkts, 17.2 overs) 179.

Fall of wickets: 1-93, 2-150.

Bowling: H Venkatesh 4-0-44-0, S Arvind 4-0-21-0, SK Moinuddin 2-0-35-1, DC Rajesh 2-0-28-1, Udit Patel 3.2-0-29-0, Jonathan Rongsen 2-0-22-0.