KPL 2018: Bengaluru Blasters enter semi-finals with unbeaten record
League toppers Bengaluru will once again take on Mysuru in the first semifinal on Tuesday while second-placed Hubli Tigers will meet Bijapur Bulls, who finished third, in the second semifinal on Wednesday
FollowMysuru: Bengaluru Blasters kept their all-win record intact with a narrow two-run, last-gasp victory over hosts Mysuru Warriors in a Karnataka Premier League (KPL) 2018 match at the SDNR Wadiyar Stadium on Sunday (September 2).
Having recovered from being 24 for 3 and then 61 for 4, to post a modest 148 after they had been put into bat by Mysuru skipper J Suchith, the Blasters bowlers made early inroads into the Mysuru line-up to spoil the party much to the disappointment of a capacity home crowd.
But Mysuru made a dramatic recovery of their own towards the very end, number eight SP Manjunath (34 not out, 24b, 4x4, 1x6) almost pulling off the impossible, before he found himself at the wrong end when four was needed off the final ball.
League toppers Bengaluru will once again take on Mysuru in the first semi-final on Tuesday while second-placed Hubli Tigers will meet Bijapur Bulls, who finished third, in the second semifinal on Wednesday.
Earlier, the Blasters start was rocky thanks to twin strikes from seamer NP Bhareth in the first and third overs and one by left-armer Prateek Jain in the fourth over.
That’s when their skipper Robin Uthappa’s experience came to the fore as he first used all his skill to see the new ball bowlers out of the attack while he himself never went too defensive. But it was the man who joined him at 24 for three who made all the difference.
Left-hander Pavan Deshpande (pictured above)Â held the innings together even after Uthappa (37, 28b, 4x4, 1x6) played all over Amit Verma delivery in the 10th over with Blasters having moved on to 61. Showing a good sense of responsibility, the number five bat brought a sense of stability to the innings, which was the dire need of the moment.
Joined in an 87-run (63 balls) association for the unbroken fifth wicket by Vinit Yadav, Deshpande showed that even in a T20 game, good things come to those who wait.
At the end of five overs, he had made one run from 10 ten balls. Ten overs later when the 15th over of the innings was completed he was on 50 from 39, a good position from where to carry on. And that’s exactly what he did, ending up with 54-ball 76 (7x4, 2x6) while Yadav remained unbeaten on 30 (30b, 3x4).
It was the stand that made to the difference to the end result.
In the second match of the day, Bijapur Bulls defeated Shivamogga Lions by two wickets.
Brief scores: Bengaluru Blasters: 148/4 in 20 overs (Robin Uthappa 37, Pavan Deshpande 76 not out, Vinit Yadav 30 not out; NP Bhareth 2-25) bt Mysuru Warriors: 146/9 in 20 overs (Sharath Srinivas 37, SP Manjunath 34 not out; Abhishek Bhat 2-37, Rohan Raju 2-24, Sharath Gowda 2-22) by 2 runs.
Shivamogga Lions: 140/8 in 20 overs (Rohit K 29, Adoksh Hegde 42, Aditya Somanna 37; Bhavesh Gulecha 3-31, KP Appanna 4-21) lost to Bijapur Bulls: 143/8 in 19.5 overs (Bharath Chipli 43, Kaunain Abbas 51, Suneel Raju 18 not out; Aditya Somanna 2-28, Anirudha Joshi 2-15) by two wickets.
Monday’s match (September 3) - Mysuru
Shivamogga Lions vs Ballari Tuskers - 6.40 pm
Semi-finals
Bengaluru Vs Mysuru (Tuesday – September 4) – 6.40pm
Hubli vs Bijapur (Wednesday – September 5) – 6.40pm
Live on Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD and Hotstar
