Gaurav, Nitish power Anurag Nalgonda Knights to TG20 League title with emphatic win over Warangal Warriors
A masterclass 143-run partnership between Gaurav Reddy (81) and Nitish Reddy (80) propelled the Anurag Nalgonda Knights to the Sreenidhi University TG20 League title, dismantling the Warangal Warriors by 91 runs after posting a mammoth tournament-high total of 259/5
Hyderabad: A brilliant 143-run stand between Gaurav Reddy and Nitish Reddy propelled Anurag Nalgonda Knights to a commanding 91-run victory over Warangal Warriors in the Sreenidhi University TG20 League championship match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (Uppal) here on Friday.
After scoring 259 for five, the joint-highest team total of the tournament , the Knights complemented their batting brilliance with a disciplined bowling effort to bundle out the Warriors for 168 in 14 overs, sealing a comprehensive all-round triumph.
Being put in to bat first, the Knights were dealt an early blow as Pranav Suryadevara (4 off 5) was dismissed by Md. Abdul Malik in the first over. The setback didn’t restrain Gaurav Reddy (81 off 33) and Nitish Reddy (80 off 42) with both batters executing a brutal counterpunch to add impetus to their innings.
Mudassar Hussain gave Warriors the much-needed breakthrough, dismissing Gaurav in the 12th over. The scalp brought an end to the 143-run stand off 65 balls. However, Nitish continued the onslaught alongside Rahul Buddhi (31 off 18) as the two combined for 44 off 21.
Warriors seemingly pulled things back as they got rid of Nitish and Rahul in successive overs at the death. Despite the double blow, Knights lower order made sure they made most of the foundation laid, with Arfaz Ahmed (33 off 14) and Divesh Singh (18 n.o. off 7) , scoring 49 in 18 balls to help their side post a challenging total.
For Warriors, Aman Rao scored a breezy 46 off 15 – all his runs coming off boundaries – before he fell to Arfaz in the fifth over. In an attempt to keep up with the required run rate, Murugan Abhishek blasted his way to a quickfire 44 off 19 balls, with Bhavesh Seth (22 off 10) and Mani Kiran (16 off 10) producing handy cameos alongside him.
But, Nishanth Saranu returned to remove Abhishek, while Varun Goud tightened the screws in the middle overs with two quick wickets, dismissing Shaunak Kulkarni (4 off 6) and Md Asif Mansoori (5 off 8) in the 13th over tand eventually Warriors was bowled out for 168.
The scores: Anurag Nalgonda Knights 259/5 in 20 overs (Gaurav Reddy 81, Nitish Reddy 80, Abdul Malik 2/51) bt Warangal Warriors 168 in 14 overs (Aman Rao 46, Murugan Abhishek 44, Nishanth Saranu 3/42). Player of the match: Nitish Reddy.
