KPL 2019: Hubli Tigers, Bengaluru Blasters win

With the game reduced to 19 overs a side due to rain, Bijapur Bulls put up a below-par 119/7 in their quota of overs despite a fighting 67 from Rajoo Bhatkal. The Tigers, in response, stuttered aplenty before David Mathias (20 not out) struck a boundary and a six off the last two deliveries in the final over to take them through.

Bengaluru: Hubli Tigers were a force to reckon with as a bowling unit but their batting left a lot to be desired. And yet, they were able to chase down a lowly VJD-revised 124-run target off the final delivery against Bijapur Bulls in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL 2019) here on Thursday evening (August 23).

With the game reduced to 19 overs a side due to rain, Bulls put up a below-par 119/7 in their quota of overs despite a fighting 67 from Rajoo Bhatkal. The Tigers, in response, stuttered aplenty before David Mathias (20 not out) struck a boundary and a six off the last two deliveries in the final over to take them through.

Tigers finished on 125/7 in 19 overs for a three-wicket win. 

Unlike on Wednesday where they relied heavily on their batting to scale down Belagavi Panthers’ 180, R Vinay Kumar’s men kept the lid on their opposition from the opening over after electing to field first.

In the first match of the day, nagging rain and a few callous strokes on part of the Ballari Tuskers meant Bengaluru Blasters won their first match by one run via the VJD method.  

Asked to bat, Blasters reached 93/8 in 16 overs and their tally was revised to 99 after rain curtailed the innings at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Thursday. Tuskers made it to 55 for 5 when the second spell of rain stopped play. The VJD par score was 56.

Brief scores

Bijapur Bulls 119/7 in 19 overs (Rajoo Bhatkal 67; R Vinay Kumar 2/18, Vidyadhar Patil 3/18) lost to (revised VJD target: 124) Hubli Tigers 125/7 in 19 overs (Pravin Dubey 27, David Mathias 20 not out; Suraj Kamath 3/12) by three wickets

Bengaluru Blasters 93/8 in 16 overs (Rohan Kadam 22; Abrar Kazi 3-15) beat (revised VJD total 99 in 16 overs) Bellary Tuskers 55/5 (Abhishek Reddy 30; Manoj S Bhandage 2/17, Bharath Dhuri 2-9) by 1 run. VJD par score: 56.

Women’s match

Ballari Tuskers 103/6 in 20 overs (Divya G 55 not out; Parthyusha C 2/12) beat Shivamogga Lions 86/9 in 20 overs (Chandu V 2/16, Shreyanka Patil 2/18, Nikki Prasad 2/16) by 17 runs.