KPL: Ganga Bithoor edge JK Spartans in thriller victory

Kanpur: Captain Prashant Awasthi's aggressive half-century (50) and his 70-run partnership with Aman Bhadoria for the sixth wicket helped RLL Ganga Bithoor defeat JK Spartans Cantt by 6 runs in a fixture of Kanpur Premier League at Green Park stadium on Thursday.
Ganga Bithoor, batting first, posted a total of 6 for 153 in 20 overs, and in reply, they restricted JK Spartans innings to 147 for 8 in the allotted 20 overs.
The match reached its climax on the final delivery. Spartans needed 9 runs in the last five balls but managed only three runs against disciplined fielding. It marked Ganga Bithoor's third victory in four matches.
Spartans' commencement was modest with the loss of top three wickets for 44 runs in 6.5 overs. Aman Chauhan and Almas Shaukat stabilised their innings, adding 40 runs for the fourth wicket. Anmol Pandey disrupted their partnership, dismissing Aman Chauhan for 26, scored in 19 balls with one boundary and one six.
Anmol subsequently dismissed Yashowardhan Singh, who scored 22 runs from 14 balls. Wickets fell periodically thereafter, and after 18 overs, their score stood at 132 for 6, requiring 21 runs in 12 balls. Spartan batsmen failed to achieve the target, suffering their second defeat in three matches. For Bithoor, Anmol Pandey and Deepanshu Singh claimed 3 and 2 wickets respectively.
Earlier, Virat Jaiswal (24) and Shubham Chaudhary (10) provided a spirited start to Ganga Bithoor, scoring 33 runs in 4.5 overs. Yashowardhan Singh broke their partnership, dismissing Shubham for 10 runs. Bithoor subsequently lost two more wickets swiftly, reducing to 55 for 3. Wickets continued falling periodically, leaving them at 82 for 5 after 12.1 overs.
Captain Prashant Awasthi and Aman Bhadoria then collaborated effectively, accelerating the scoring rate. They constructed a 70-run partnership for the sixth wicket in 46 balls. Rishabh Rajput ended their partnership, claiming Prashant for 50. Brajendra caught him at deep when attempting a boundary. His 26-ball innings included 5 sixes and 1 boundary.
Aman remained unbeaten on 31, scored in 28 balls, including 2 boundaries and one six. Rishabh Rajput and Yashowardhan Singh claimed two wickets each.
Brief score: RLL Ganga Bithoor- 6 for 153 (Virat Jaiswal 24, Shubham chaudhary 10, Rahul Singh 17,Aman yadav 15,Prashant Awasthi 50, Aman Bhadoria 31no, Rishabh Rajput 2for 25, Yashowardhan Singh 2 for 6, Nishant Gaud 1for 20, Abhishek Tomar 1 for 31)
JK Spartans-8 for 147 (Manik Beri 18, Bhavya Tiwari 18, Almas Shaukat 35, Aman Chauhan 26, Yashowardhan Singh 22, Rishabh Rajput 12, Anmol Pandey 3 for 23, Deepanshu Singh 2 for 41, Saurabh Singh 1 for 15, Virat Jaiswal 1 for 10, Prashant Chaudhary 1 for 32)