201/7 (20.0)
CR : 10.05
203/7 (20.0)
CR : 10.15
Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters won by 2 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Nischith Rao
3/27
The 200 comes up for the Tigers but they fall short by 2 runs. It shall pinch them.
Over 20
Hubli Tigers 201/7
Shikhar Shetty2(1)
Tanish Mahesh1(1)
Nischith Rao3-27(4.0)
BLB won by 2 runs
6:31 PM IST, LOCAL TIME: Sometimes the storm is not the rain above... but the courage beneath it. What looked like a rain-hit afternoon turned into an edge-of-the-seat classic as the Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters held their nerve to defeat the Hubli Tigers by just 2 runs, defending 203/7 after restricting the Tigers to 201/7. Who owned the first half? Rohan Patil, Praveen Dubey and S Shivaraj with the bat. Who almost stole it at the death? Manvanth Kumar. His breathtaking 60 off just 22 balls turned a lost chase into a genuine heist, but cricket, as always, had one final twist tucked away. Nischith Rao's brilliant last over and the crucial run-out of Abhinav Manohar sealed a dramatic victory for the Blasters in one of the matches of the season.
Let's rewind a bit....
How did the Blasters recover from an opening nightmare? By refusing to panic. Hubli Tigers won the toss, chose to bowl, and even had the weather on their side as rain interrupted the innings after just five deliveries. Once play resumed, Vaibhav Sharma produced a sensational second over, dismissing Bhuvan Mohan Raju (10) before clean bowling Krishnan Shrijith for a golden duck on consecutive deliveries. Bengaluru suddenly found themselves at 11/2. Was the collapse coming? Not quite. Rohan Patil and Samit Dravid answered with fearless strokeplay, bringing up the team fifty in just 5.4 overs before the Powerplay ended at an excellent 58/2, completely shifting the momentum.
What happened after the Powerplay? Rain returned briefly at 9.4 overs, but the batting rhythm never disappeared. Before the interruption, Samit Dravid and Rohan Patil had already stitched together a superb 70-run third-wicket partnership, lifting the Blasters from trouble to complete control. Samit's fluent 32 off 23 eventually ended in an unfortunate run-out after a mix-up, but Rohan kept marching on. He reached a stylish half-century, mixed timing with power beautifully, and found an ideal partner in Praveen Dubey. Their 51-run stand for the fifth wicket came in just 28 balls, with Dubey taking on the role of aggressor while Rohan calmly anchored from the other end.
Did Hubli claw things back late? Briefly... yes. Enough? Not quite. Rohan Patil finally departed for a magnificent 64 off 36, while Praveen Dubey completed a sparkling 51 from 28 balls before falling immediately after reaching the milestone. From a commanding 157/4, Bengaluru suddenly slipped to 178/7, thanks largely to Vaibhav Sharma's outstanding 3/38 and Abhishek Ahlawat's two wickets. Could they still breach 200? Absolutely. S Shivaraj produced a breathtaking unbeaten 23 off only 7 balls, smashing three fours and a six, while Rohan Naveen chipped in at the end as the Blasters surged to 203/7. A brilliant finish. A psychological advantage. A total that demanded something extraordinary.
Now... The Chase!!!
How did Hubli respond without the injured Mayank Agarwal? Not in the way they would have hoped. Chasing 204, the Tigers lost Kumar LR for just 1 as Vidwath Kaverappa struck early before returning to remove Mohammed Taha (8). Hardik Raj injected life with a brisk 25 off 14, but K Shashi Kumar ended that cameo, reducing Hubli to 36/3. Although the fifty arrived in exactly 7 overs, the Powerplay belonged firmly to Bengaluru as the Tigers closed it on 42/3, needing someone to play an innings well beyond ordinary.
Who accepted that challenge? Aneeshwar Gautam and Shivkumar Rakshith first... then Manvanth Kumar took it to another level. Gautam and Rakshith rebuilt patiently through a vital 68-run fourth-wicket partnership, dragging the Tigers to 76/3 by the strategic timeout and 85/3 at the halfway mark, leaving 119 needed from the final ten overs. Bengaluru still held the upper hand, though. Nischith Rao's clever spell tightened the screws, while the asking rate kept climbing despite the occasional boundary. Every over felt like a new chapter. Every dot ball carried extra weight.
Then came absolute madness. Was the chase over? It certainly looked that way before Manvanth Kumar exploded. Alongside Abhinav Manohar, he stitched together a stunning 80-run partnership in only 32 balls. Manvanth blasted two sixes in the 16th over, two more in the 18th, and raced to a sensational fifty in just 17 balls. The equation tumbled from 80 off 30, to 61 off 24, to 52 off 18, then 32 off 12, and finally 13 needed off the last over after 19 runs came off Samit Dravid's 19th over.
Could he finish the miracle? The second ball of the final over disappeared for four. The dream was alive. Then came the turning point. Abhinav Manohar was run out trying to steal a second. Nischith Rao followed with a pinpoint yorker that castled Manvanth for a breathtaking 60 off 22. Two wickets in two balls. The match flipped. Hubli finished on 201/7, just two runs short, despite one of the finest counter-attacking knocks of the tournament.
What truly decided the contest? Tiny moments hidden inside a huge game. Vaibhav Sharma's early burst kept Hubli alive in the first innings. Rohan Patil's composed 64, Praveen Dubey's 51, and S Shivaraj's explosive finish pushed Bengaluru beyond the psychological 200-run barrier. During the chase, Kaverappa's early wickets, Rao's outstanding 3/27, and that nerveless final over proved decisive. Even when Manvanth threatened to rewrite the script, Bengaluru never completely lost belief. Cricket can be brutally beautiful. This was exactly that.
Let's rewind a bit....
How did the Blasters recover from an opening nightmare? By refusing to panic. Hubli Tigers won the toss, chose to bowl, and even had the weather on their side as rain interrupted the innings after just five deliveries. Once play resumed, Vaibhav Sharma produced a sensational second over, dismissing Bhuvan Mohan Raju (10) before clean bowling Krishnan Shrijith for a golden duck on consecutive deliveries. Bengaluru suddenly found themselves at 11/2. Was the collapse coming? Not quite. Rohan Patil and Samit Dravid answered with fearless strokeplay, bringing up the team fifty in just 5.4 overs before the Powerplay ended at an excellent 58/2, completely shifting the momentum.
What happened after the Powerplay? Rain returned briefly at 9.4 overs, but the batting rhythm never disappeared. Before the interruption, Samit Dravid and Rohan Patil had already stitched together a superb 70-run third-wicket partnership, lifting the Blasters from trouble to complete control. Samit's fluent 32 off 23 eventually ended in an unfortunate run-out after a mix-up, but Rohan kept marching on. He reached a stylish half-century, mixed timing with power beautifully, and found an ideal partner in Praveen Dubey. Their 51-run stand for the fifth wicket came in just 28 balls, with Dubey taking on the role of aggressor while Rohan calmly anchored from the other end.
Did Hubli claw things back late? Briefly... yes. Enough? Not quite. Rohan Patil finally departed for a magnificent 64 off 36, while Praveen Dubey completed a sparkling 51 from 28 balls before falling immediately after reaching the milestone. From a commanding 157/4, Bengaluru suddenly slipped to 178/7, thanks largely to Vaibhav Sharma's outstanding 3/38 and Abhishek Ahlawat's two wickets. Could they still breach 200? Absolutely. S Shivaraj produced a breathtaking unbeaten 23 off only 7 balls, smashing three fours and a six, while Rohan Naveen chipped in at the end as the Blasters surged to 203/7. A brilliant finish. A psychological advantage. A total that demanded something extraordinary.
Now... The Chase!!!
How did Hubli respond without the injured Mayank Agarwal? Not in the way they would have hoped. Chasing 204, the Tigers lost Kumar LR for just 1 as Vidwath Kaverappa struck early before returning to remove Mohammed Taha (8). Hardik Raj injected life with a brisk 25 off 14, but K Shashi Kumar ended that cameo, reducing Hubli to 36/3. Although the fifty arrived in exactly 7 overs, the Powerplay belonged firmly to Bengaluru as the Tigers closed it on 42/3, needing someone to play an innings well beyond ordinary.
Who accepted that challenge? Aneeshwar Gautam and Shivkumar Rakshith first... then Manvanth Kumar took it to another level. Gautam and Rakshith rebuilt patiently through a vital 68-run fourth-wicket partnership, dragging the Tigers to 76/3 by the strategic timeout and 85/3 at the halfway mark, leaving 119 needed from the final ten overs. Bengaluru still held the upper hand, though. Nischith Rao's clever spell tightened the screws, while the asking rate kept climbing despite the occasional boundary. Every over felt like a new chapter. Every dot ball carried extra weight.
Then came absolute madness. Was the chase over? It certainly looked that way before Manvanth Kumar exploded. Alongside Abhinav Manohar, he stitched together a stunning 80-run partnership in only 32 balls. Manvanth blasted two sixes in the 16th over, two more in the 18th, and raced to a sensational fifty in just 17 balls. The equation tumbled from 80 off 30, to 61 off 24, to 52 off 18, then 32 off 12, and finally 13 needed off the last over after 19 runs came off Samit Dravid's 19th over.
Could he finish the miracle? The second ball of the final over disappeared for four. The dream was alive. Then came the turning point. Abhinav Manohar was run out trying to steal a second. Nischith Rao followed with a pinpoint yorker that castled Manvanth for a breathtaking 60 off 22. Two wickets in two balls. The match flipped. Hubli finished on 201/7, just two runs short, despite one of the finest counter-attacking knocks of the tournament.
What truly decided the contest? Tiny moments hidden inside a huge game. Vaibhav Sharma's early burst kept Hubli alive in the first innings. Rohan Patil's composed 64, Praveen Dubey's 51, and S Shivaraj's explosive finish pushed Bengaluru beyond the psychological 200-run barrier. During the chase, Kaverappa's early wickets, Rao's outstanding 3/27, and that nerveless final over proved decisive. Even when Manvanth threatened to rewrite the script, Bengaluru never completely lost belief. Cricket can be brutally beautiful. This was exactly that.
Aneeshwar Gautam (Hubli Tigers Stand-in Captain): "[On the close loss] Yeah, it was a very great game of cricket. Obviously, we lost a few wickets in the powerplay. Then we made up and had one good partnership with me and Rakshith. Then Abhinav and Manvanth got us very close. Obviously, we would have liked the win, but I am proud of the way the boys played.
[On Manvanth Kumar's 60 off 22] Yeah, it was brilliant. I think we needed 15 runs an over at one stage. So, to get close to the target was a superb effort from him.
[On the learnings from today] Just to take the game deep and not give up at any stage. We know the kind of line up we have. So, it was just about believing when things were not going our way. We did that today and got really close.
[Update on Mayank Agarwal] Not yet. He has gone to the hospital. So, we don't have an update."
[On Manvanth Kumar's 60 off 22] Yeah, it was brilliant. I think we needed 15 runs an over at one stage. So, to get close to the target was a superb effort from him.
[On the learnings from today] Just to take the game deep and not give up at any stage. We know the kind of line up we have. So, it was just about believing when things were not going our way. We did that today and got really close.
[Update on Mayank Agarwal] Not yet. He has gone to the hospital. So, we don't have an update."
Time for the Post-Match Presentations....
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: NISCHITH RAO
Shubhang Hegde (Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters Captain): (On defending a total of 203) "We had played a practice game against this team where we scored 230, and they chased it down. So we always knew they would stay in the game until the end. Credit to Nischith for the way he bowled today.
(On the injury to his bowling hand) I'll only know in some time, but whatever it is, I'm going to play.
*On the final over) I wasn't on the field, but I tried to tell Nischith to take the pace off the ball. He had his own plans, though, and executed the yorkers really well.
(On whether 203 was enough) We knew it would be close if we didn't bowl well. I thought we started really well with the ball, especially in the powerplay. After that, Manvanth played an outstanding innings and brought them back into the game. We bowled some good balls, but I think we can only get better from here.
(On Rohan Patil's innings) Rohan has been batting well in every game. He's among the top run-scorers in the tournament, and we've been telling him to convert his starts into big scores. Hopefully, he gets a really big one soon."
(On the injury to his bowling hand) I'll only know in some time, but whatever it is, I'm going to play.
*On the final over) I wasn't on the field, but I tried to tell Nischith to take the pace off the ball. He had his own plans, though, and executed the yorkers really well.
(On whether 203 was enough) We knew it would be close if we didn't bowl well. I thought we started really well with the ball, especially in the powerplay. After that, Manvanth played an outstanding innings and brought them back into the game. We bowled some good balls, but I think we can only get better from here.
(On Rohan Patil's innings) Rohan has been batting well in every game. He's among the top run-scorers in the tournament, and we've been telling him to convert his starts into big scores. Hopefully, he gets a really big one soon."
And with that, another unforgettable chapter comes to an end. Rain interruptions. Counter-attacks. Fifty after fifty. Partnerships that rebuilt innings. Partnerships that nearly stole victory. A chase that refused to surrender until the final two deliveries. The Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters walk away with two precious points and memories that will last much longer than the scorecard. The Hubli Tigers leave with heartbreak, but also with immense pride after pushing a 204-run chase to the absolute limit. That's all from this thriller.
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator, Manan Mehta, and scorer Ghanendra Singh Thakur. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But cricket doesn’t sleep. Plenty is happening around the world. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!!!!
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator, Manan Mehta, and scorer Ghanendra Singh Thakur. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But cricket doesn’t sleep. Plenty is happening around the world. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!!!!