Published: Jan 17, 2015, 07:24 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 17, 2015, 07:28 PM (IST)
In another thriller of a contest, Mumbai Heroes beat Kerala Strikers by three wickets in the fifth match of the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Oval Ground, Ranchi.
Batting first, the previous edition runners-up Strikers lost two wickets in the second over to Jay Bhanushali, however Arjun Nandakumar played a brilliant hand of 83 off only 55 balls to guide the team from Kerala to a formidable 189 for five at the end of 20 overs. Captain Rajeev Pillai played a good hand of 50 off just 33 balls.
Heroes used as many as eight bowlers but Bhanushali was the most impressive one. He bowled an over short, but gave away only 21 runs off his three overs and claimed the two wickets that pushed back Strikers early on. That was not all, as later Bhanushali played a late cameo of unbeaten 18, while Heroes lost a couple of quick wickets during their chase.
Heroes started cautiously with Sameer Kochhar and Aftab Shivdasani scoring 42 and 25 respectively. However the innings received its boost from a whirlwind knock from film director Apoorva Lakhia. The left-hander belted 45 from just 20 balls, as A Benny picked up a hat-trick.
A late surge of 15 from 10 by Indranil Sengupta saw the Heroes clinch the thriller with one ball to spare. Last Saturday against Veer Marathi’s, the Heroes won it with a last ball six. They now have two wins from as many games.
