Puneri Bappa beat Nashik in thriller at Shriram Capitals Maharashtra Premier League

Pune, June 28, 2023: Eagle Nashik Titans captain Rahul Tripathi gambled by handing a ball to off-spinner Kaushal Tambe for the last over with two lower-order left-hand batters at the crease and 11 to defend.

It did not go his way. With 7 needed off 3 balls, Advay Shidhaye 27* (13b, 1×4, 2x6s) smashed a huge six and then sensibly took a single to earn Puneri Bappa a three-wicket victory in the eliminator and set up a high-octane Qualifier 2 with Kolhapur Tuskers in the Shriram Capitals Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) at the MCA International Stadium in Gahunje on Tuesday night.

The rain-affected game was delayed by two and a half hours and was reduced to 18 overs each. Pune won the toss and chose to bowl first.

During Nashik’s batting, it looked like Tripathi, who opened the innings, was batting on a different surface than his teammates. His nonchalant 60 came off 41 balls with nine fours and a six. It took a brilliant diving catch off his own bowling by Sohan Jamale (2 off 19 in 4 overs) to send Tripathi back in the 14th over.

Barring Tripathi, other Nashik batters struggled to get going as only three other batters – Mandar Bhandari (13, 10b, 1×6), Varun Deshpande (12, 11b, 1×6), and Dhanraj Shinde (18, 12b, 2x6s) managed to post a double-digit score.

For Pune, their entire bowling unit was on the money. Left-arm pacer Sachin Bhosale (2 for 17 in 4), Rohan Damle (2 for 23 in 4) and Piyush Salvi (1 for 38 in 4) ensured that Nashik’s total remained below par.

The chase wasn’t smooth sailing for Pune either, who kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Pawan Shah 25 (20b, 2x4s, 1×6), Yash Kshirsagar 25 (24b, 2x4s) and skipper Rohan Damle 17 (16b, 2x4s) chipped in with valuable scores to take Pune home.

Pacer Rehan Khan (3 for 20 in 3) and left-arm spinner Akshay Waikar (1 for 26 in 4) were the pick of the bowlers for Nashik.

In hindsight, the game changed when India U-19 Siddhesh Veer dropped a catch of Shidhaye in the 15th over at deep square, as Shidhaye took his side a step closer to the final.

Brief scores: Eagle Nashik Titans: 131 for 8 in 18 overs (Rahul Tripathi 60, Dhanraj Shinde 18; Sohan Jamale 2-19; Rohan Damle 2-23) lost to Puneri Bappa: 132 for 7 in 17.5 (Advay Shidhaye 27, Pawan Shah 25, Yash Kshirsagar 25; Rehan Khan 3-20) by three wickets.