Anurag Nalgonda Knights register third straight win in TG20 League

Anurag Nalgonda Knights defeated Palamuru Strikers by six wickets in the Sreenidhi University TG20 League. Md Arfaz Ahmed starred with the ball before skipper Rahul Buddhi's unbeaten 68 guided the Knights to their third consecutive victory and second place in the standings

Hyderabad: Anurag Nalgonda Knights recorded their third win on the trot, scoring a comprehensive six-wicket victory against Palamuru Strikers in the Sreenidhi University TG20 League at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Monday.

The Knights’ bowlers were sensational in executing their plans as Md Arfaz Ahmed (3/39) and Nishanth Saranu (2/16) were the standout performers, restricting the Strikers to 148/9. Skipper Rahul Buddhi (68 not out off 40) held his nerve in the run chase to lead his side to a comfortable victory with 28 balls to spare, helping them jump to second on the points table.

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Pragnay Reddy (55 off 35) led the counterattack to add some impetus to the innings as he stitched together a 37-run partnership with Chaitanya Reddy (17 off 18). The latter rotated the strike cleverly before he too succumbed to Divesh Singh in the ninth over.

With the team in trouble, Pragnay and Rathan Teja (50 off 33) dug deep to put on a 74-run stand in 50 balls. Both batters displayed maturity by rotating the strike regularly while also finding the boundary at regular intervals as they reached their respective half-centuries in 32 balls. The duo carried their side past the 100-run mark and seemingly set the platform for a big finish.

However, the Strikers scored only 14 runs in the last two overs, losing three wickets in the final over courtesy of a brilliant performance by the Knights’ bowlers, who restricted them to 148/9.

Rishab Baslas gave the Strikers a glimmer of hope by dismissing both openers in successive overs, putting the Knights in a spot of bother at 47/2 in the fifth over.

Rohit got the better of Nitish in the 10th over, with Varun Goud (13 off 12) falling to a soft dismissal soon after. However, Rahul Buddhi (68 n.o., 40b, 7×4, 3×6) made sure he finished the job for his side.

The scores: Palamuru Strikers 148/9 in 20 overs (Pragnay Reddy 55, Rathan Teja 50, Md Arfaz Ahmed 3/39, Nishanth Saranu 2/16) lost to Anurag Nalgonda Knights 149/4 in 15.2 overs (Rahul Buddhi 68 n.o., Rishab Baslas 2/26). Player of the match: Rahul Buddhi.