Kerala Strikers trounced Mumbai Heroes by 10 wickets, riding on an explosive 75 off 63 balls by Rajiv Pillai, to register their first win in the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), on Sunday.
Back after their one-wicket loss to Chennai Rhinos at Hyderabad on Saturday in a nail-biting encounter, the home team did not disappoint the near-capacity crowd of 50,000 at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.
Chasing 129, Rajiv Pillai and his opening parter Nivin Pauly (16 off 38 balls) helped Strikers romp home in just 16.5 overs.
The team launched their chase on a blistering pace by scoring 50 in just 7.3 overs with Rajiv doing the bulk of the scoring while Pauly played second fiddle to his hard-hitting companion by rotating strike.
Man-of-the-match Pillai’s blitzkrieg innings was studded with eight boundaries.Mumbai bowlers made Strikers’ task easier by bowling 38 extras.
The entire Kerala team, led by Mohanlal, ran towards the ground when Pillai scored the winning run.
Earlier, Mumbai Heroes skipper Suneil Shetty won the toss and decided to bat first and the Bollywood team started off well with openers Sunny Singh and Badola adding 29 runs in just 3.5 overs. Mumbai were at 51 for 3 and lost wickets at regular intervals to reach 109 for six after 18 overs.
The Stadium was rocked with applause when Mohanlal came to bowl the 19th over. But, the actor disappointed his fans by conceding 14 runs in that over. Bineesh Kodiyeri took three wickets in the last over to restrict the Mumbai team to 128 for 9.
The presence of actor Mammootty increased the excitement of the spectators. The actor also rose to the occasion by cheering the Kerala team and frequently waving to the audience. Cine stars Prithviraj, Bhavana, Lakshmi Rai and Siddique were also present to cheer the Strikers.
Back after their one-wicket loss to Chennai Rhinos at Hyderabad on Saturday in a nail-biting encounter, the home team did not disappoint the near-capacity crowd of 50,000 at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium.
Chasing 129, Rajiv Pillai and his opening parter Nivin Pauly (16 off 38 balls) helped Strikers romp home in just 16.5 overs.
The team launched their chase on a blistering pace by scoring 50 in just 7.3 overs with Rajiv doing the bulk of the scoring while Pauly played second fiddle to his hard-hitting companion by rotating strike.
Man-of-the-match Pillai’s blitzkrieg innings was studded with eight boundaries.Mumbai bowlers made Strikers’ task easier by bowling 38 extras.
The entire Kerala team, led by Mohanlal, ran towards the ground when Pillai scored the winning run.
Earlier, Mumbai Heroes skipper Suneil Shetty won the toss and decided to bat first and the Bollywood team started off well with openers Sunny Singh and Badola adding 29 runs in just 3.5 overs. Mumbai were at 51 for 3 and lost wickets at regular intervals to reach 109 for six after 18 overs.
The Stadium was rocked with applause when Mohanlal came to bowl the 19th over. But, the actor disappointed his fans by conceding 14 runs in that over. Bineesh Kodiyeri took three wickets in the last over to restrict the Mumbai team to 128 for 9.
The presence of actor Mammootty increased the excitement of the spectators. The actor also rose to the occasion by cheering the Kerala team and frequently waving to the audience. Cine stars Prithviraj, Bhavana, Lakshmi Rai and Siddique were also present to cheer the Strikers.
