Shivamogga hold nerve to edge past Bellary

In a match of fluctuating fortunes, constantly interrupted by rain, Namma Shivamogga registered their first win of the fifth edition of the Karbonn KPL at the KSCA Stadium in Rajnagar on Sunday night.

They beat battling Bellary Tuskers by four wickets in a thrilling match decided via the VJD rain-rule method.

Set to make 170 for win in 20 overs the rain interruptions kept altering the target until the final target was set at 159 in 16 overs.

Shivamogga were not too well placed at 61 for four but an excellent 60-run stand in 5.2 overs between Shreyas Gopal (42, 20b, 2x6, 3x4) and Abrar Kazi (37, 23b, 1x6, 4x4) put the team in driver’s seat. Siddharth (22 n.o. off 9 balls) and Syed Zeeshan (12 n.o. off 7 balls) knocked off the required number of runs to help the team win.

Earlier, opting to bat first, Tuskers suffered an early set-back, when opener Rohan Kadam fell to Stuart Binny, but Amit Verma (27) and Devraj went about making amends by batting watchfully.

Later, KB Pawan (42, 1x6, 4x4), along-with Suneel Raju, steadied the ship for a while, adding 47 crucial runs. Undeterred by the frequent rain halts, the Tuskers middle-order, inspired by some power-hitting from Suneel (28) and Akhil (20), kept the team on course for a competitive total.

SP Manjunath (28, 4x1, 6x2) gave the much required thrust at the end of the innings, powering the team to a healthy total.

The rains continued to interrupt and the target had to be revised twice. The Tuskers got early breakthroughs sending back  Sadiq Kirmani, Pawan Deshpande (8) and Stuart Binny (1) in quick succession.

But Shreyas came good in time and was adjudged the man of the match.
IG Anil of Tuskers returned figures of 3/37 from three overs.

Brief score: Bellary Tuskers: 169/6 in 20 overs (KB Pawan 42, Amit Verma 27, Suneel Raju 28, SB Manjunath 28; KP Appanna 2-35) lt to Namma Shivamogga: 161/6 in 16 overs (Shreyas Gopal 42, Abrar Kazi 37; IG Anil 3-37) via VJD method.

Tomorrow’s fixtures: Hubli Tigers vs Bijapur Bulls (1.30 pm); Mangalore United vs Rockstars (5.30 pm).