JOIN USBijapur Bulls became the first side to seal a Karnataka Premier League semifinal berth with a thrilling one-run victory over Belagavi Panthers at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubballi on Monday.
Having set Belagavi a 155-run target, thanks to captain Bharath Chipli’s 52-ball 68, a combined bowling performance ensured Bijapur crept through, despite Stuart Binny’s unbeaten 40-ball 55.
The win lifted Bijapur to the top spot in the table with eight points. Belagavi, currently on seven points, have to wait till the end of the two matches on Tuesday to know their fate.
Stalin Hoover got Belagavi’s chase off to a quick start, scoring a 14-ball 23 to take the total past 50-mark early in the fifth over. At that point, it seemed Belagavi would ace the chase, but when Hoover was run out, the tide changed. Prithvi Shekawat had KN Bharath (6) and Sunil Raju (1) dismissed in quick succession, and Belagavi’s early momentum was completely drained, reduced to 57 for four.
In Binny, Belagavi had someone who could single-handedly win them the match though. He guided the chase, ensuring the scorecard never stayed stagnant, finding the fence whenever he could. At the other end, S Rakshith was an ideal foil, even scooping KC Cariappa over the ‘keeper’s head at one point. Their 42-run stand revived the innings, Naveen MG crucially broke through in the 14th over though, with Rakshith (17) miscuing a slog.
Bijapur had the momentum again. But D Avinash lifted a couple of massive sixes to keep Belagavi in the game. It helped that the dew made fielding difficult, with both players dropped. Avinash was then dismissed off a no-ball in the penultimate over off More, and Binny dispatched free-hit into the stands.
It meant Belagavi needed 12 off the final over. Binny’s flat six over covers reduced the equation to four off three balls, but Avinash (18) then holed out. Belagavi needed three off the final ball – they got just one and Bijapur were ecastatic.
Earlier, Chipli led from the front with a solid 52-ball 68 and with AM Kiran (33 from 35 balls) set the platform for the Bulls to go on and get a challenging total. Young Shubhang Hegde (1/26) and Avinash (3/32) impressed with the ball for the Panthers.
Brief scores: Bijapur Bulls 154/6 in 20 overs (Bharath Chipli 68, AM Kiran 33; D Avinash 3-32) bt Belagavi Panthers 153/8 in 20 overs (Stuart Binny 55 n.o.; Ronit More 2-41, Prithvi Shekawat 2-12)