Kolhapur Tuskers enter MPL Finals 2023 in grand style by thrashing Puneri Bappa Team, Qualifier 2 Match

Pune (June 28, 2023) Kolhapur Tuskers beat Puneri Bappa on the strength of Akshay Darekar (3-29) and Siddharth Mhatre’s half-century (58 not out) in the Qualifier 2 match of the Maharashtra Premier League Cricket Tournament organized by the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA). Defeated the team by 5 wickets and entered the final round.

Kolhapur Tuskers won the toss and invited Puneri Bappa to bat first in the ongoing match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje. ( mpl 2023 Kolhapur Tuskers team won against Puneri Bappa )

The top order of Puneri Bappa team failed miserably against Kolhapur’s aggressive bowling. Pune’s opener Pawan Shah was dismissed by Kolhapur’s Atman Pore for 5 runs and gave Pune the first blow. Shubham Taiswal returned to the tent with 18 off 14 balls. He was caught by Kolhapur’s Nihal Tusmad. He hit three fours. Then captain Rohan Damle (9 runs), Yash Kshirsagar (6 runs) was dismissed by Taranjit Dhillon for a hat trick and put the Puneri Bappa team in trouble. Middle order batsmen Harsh Sanghvi (17 runs), Advaiah Sidhaye (4 runs), Ajay Borude (0 runs) were also dismissed quickly before the penetrating bowling of Kolhapur spinner Akshay Darekar (3-29). So Puneri Bappa team found themselves in a dire situation with 68 for 7 in 14 overs.

Abhimanyu Jadhav, who came in to bat at number nine, shaped the team’s innings with an unbeaten 42 off 21 balls. Abhimanyu hit 3 fours and 3 sixes. Suraj Shinde supported him by knocking 26 runs off 21 balls. The pair put on a 36-ball 65-run partnership for the eighth wicket to challenge the team to 133 for 7 in the allotted overs. Akshay Darekar 3-29, Taranjit Dhillon(2-20), Atman Pore(1-8), Nihal Tusmad 1-13 bowled well from Kolhapur.

Kolhapur Tuskers, who came down with a challenge of 134 runs, completed this challenge by scoring 134 runs for 5 in 17.4 overs. Kolhapur’s Kedar Jadhav (5 runs) was bowled by Pune’s Sachin Bhosale in the first blow. Sachin Bhosle quickly dismissed Ankit Bavane (5 runs), Kirtiraj Wadekar (0 runs) who were in great form and put Kolhapur Tuskers in trouble. Then Siddharth Mhatre completed his half century with 58 runs off 41 balls. He hit 6 fours and 2 sixes in it. ( mpl 2023 Kolhapur Tuskers team won against Puneri Bappa )

While wickets were falling from one side, Siddharth continued to bat aggressively and kept the scoreboard moving. Siddharth was supported by Naushad Sheikh with 24 runs. The pair put on a partnership of 42 runs off 34 balls for the fourth wicket. Naushad Sheikh was caught off the bowling of Rohan Damle. Siddharth added 23 runs in 29 balls along with Taranjit Dhillon to accelerate the run rate. Taranjeet was dismissed for 10 runs.

The pair of Siddharth Mhatre and Sahil Autade (24 runs not out) made the victory of the team easier by making a partnership of 53 runs in 27 balls. Siddharth Mhatre hit the winning six to give the team victory.

Result:
Puneri Bappa: 133 for 7 in 20 overs (Abhimanyu Jadhav 42 not out (21,3×4,3×6), Suraj Shinde not out 26 (21,1×6), Harsh Sanghvi 17, Shubham Taiswal 18, Akshay Darekar 3-29, Taranjit Dhillon 2-20, Atman Pore 1-8, Nihal Tusmad 1-13) Parabhut vs. Kolhapur Tuskers: 134 for 5 in 17.4 overs (Siddharth Mhatre not out 58(41,6×4,2×6), Sahil Autade not out 24(14,2×4,1×6), Naushad Sheikh 24(23,1×4), Sachin Bhosale 3-33, Rohan Damle 1-17, Ajay Borude 1-37); Man of the Match – Siddharth Mhatre; Kolhapur Tuskers won by 5 wickets.

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