Taha blitzkrieg blows Hubli Tigers away
DH News Service, Mysuru, Sep 11 2017, 0:40 IST
Slam bang: Mohammed Taha of Bijapur Bulls sweeps one to the fence en route to his 45-ball 83 against Hubli Tigers in Mysuru on Sunday. KPL Media.
Bijapur Bulls won their second consecutive game in the Karnataka Premier League on Sunday after seeing off table-toppers Hubli Tigers by four wickets at the SDNR Wadiyar ground in Mysuru.
Mohammed Taha was the star of the show, his show-stopping 45-ball 83 ensuring Bijapur didn’t feel the effects of Abhishek Sakuja’s excellent returns of four for 21.
Taha’s efforts ensured that Hubli’s 159 for eight was toppled in 18.4 overs. The win snapped Hubli’s unbeaten run in the tournament.
Taha was at his free-scoring best even as Sakuja, the left-arm spinner, ran through the rest of the Bijapur top-order.
The wickets meant Bijapur’s chase got off to a difficult start, with Sakuja sending back Bharath Chipli, Dikshanshu Negi (2) and Naveen MG (12) to reduce Bijapur to 37 for three.
All the while, Taha just kept pummelling the ball ensuring Bijapur were always in the chase despite the early slide.
Taha brought up his half-century off just 27 balls and continued fearlessly taking on the bowlers, confident in his ability to take the aerial route over the fielders. M Nidish (29 off 33), meanwhile, provided able support, rotating strike and chipping away with the singles.
By the 15-over mark, Taha had hammered his ninth six. His big hits ensured Bijapur needed less than a run-a-ball at that point.
However, with the need of the hour being composure, Taha holed out off Sakuja, the bowler claiming his fourth wicket. The momentum shifted right back to Hubli.
However, Nidhish and AM Kiran ensured the scoreboard kept ticking and helped their side get the win, and when Dubey, the leg-spinner, came in to bowl the 18th over, Kiran launched him down the ground to leave Bijapur needing just ten runs off the last two overs.
Nidhish looked to finish things off quickly with a slog off Aman, only to find more height than distance. Bijapur then crossed the line without any jitters.
Earlier, Mayank Agarwal (33) and K Siddharth (34) got starts but couldn’t go on to get a big one as Hubli posted a challenging total.
DH News Service
Brief scores: Hubli Tigers: 159/8 in 20 overs (Mayank Agarwal 33, K Siddharth 34, Kranthi Kumar 27; Ronit More 2-37, MG Naveen 2-13) lt to Bijapur Bulls: 162/6 in 18.4 overs (Mohammed Taha 83, M Nidhish 29; Abhishek Sakuja 4-21).