Tanmay Agarwal’s maiden century powers Karimnagar Diamonds to first win

Skipper Tanmay Agarwal's brilliant 133 off 61 balls guided EIPL & eleve Karimnagar Diamonds to their first victory of the TG20 season, as they defeated Warangal Warriors by two runs despite fighting half-centuries from Rishiket Sisodia and Bhavesh Seth

Hyderabad: Skipper Tanmay Agarwal’s maiden century in the tournament helped EIPL & eleve Karimnagar Diamonds record their first win of the season as they secured a narrow two-run victory over Warangal Warriors in the Sreenidhi University TG20 cricket championship at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Sunday.

Tanmay Agarwal led the way for the Diamonds with a magnificent 133 off 61 balls to help them post 209/6. Satish Kumar (2/18) and Ashish Srivastav (1/27) were the pick of the bowlers as half-centuries from Rishiket Sisodia (65 off 31) and Bhavesh Seth (53 not out off 27) went in vain.

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Batting first, the Diamonds amassed their highest total of the tournament so far. However, they got off to a shaky start as Mudassar Hussain struck the first blow by dismissing Satwik Reddy (4 off 4) in the opening over. Undeterred, skipper Tanmay Agarwal took responsibility and counter-attacked, finding boundaries regularly to rebuild the innings alongside HK Simha (24 off 21), who played second fiddle.

The partnership ensured that the Diamonds scored at a healthy run rate as the captain notched up his half-century in 27 balls to pile pressure back on the bowlers. Murugan Abhishek eventually broke the 100-run stand in the 11th over by dismissing Simha to give the Warriors a much-needed breakthrough.

In reply, the Warriors began the chase in commanding fashion, with Aman Rao Perala (12 off 9) and Harshit Choudhary (31 off 23) setting the platform. The former was cleaned up by Harish Thakur in the third over, but that did not hamper the scoring rate.

Rishiket laid down a marker from the outset, finding boundaries at will as he combined with Abhishek to help the Warriors reach 60/1 in the powerplay. He raced to a 23-ball half-century, smashing three consecutive sixes to reach the landmark.

Satish broke the 70-run stand as he outfoxed Harshit around the halfway mark, triggering a flurry of wickets. Murugan Abhishek (1 off 4) succumbed to Ashish Srivastav in the 11th over, with Rishiket also falling to Satish in the following over. Adi Mani Kiran (11 off 10) fell soon after, derailing the Warriors’ run chase as they lost three wickets in as many overs.

The scores: EIPL & eleve Karimnagar Diamonds 209/6 in 20 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 133, Hrishikesh Simha 24, Mudassar Hussain 2/35) bt Warangal Warriors 207/6 in 20 overs (Rishiket Sisodia 65, Bhavesh Seth 53 not out, Satish Kumar 2/18).

Player of the match: Tanmay Agarwal