Bengaluru, Aug 17 (Representative) In an exciting encounter at Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Hubli Tigers snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, overcoming the Gulbarga Mystics by 6 wickets with just one ball to spare. Chasing down a target of 159, Hubli finished with a thrilling 160/4 in 18.3 overs, sealing their win in dramatic fashion. As the game reached its peak, Hubli needed 11 runs from the last two overs. The pressure was on, but Aneeshwar Gautam and KP Karthikeya delivered under the spotlight. Sharan Goud’s 18th over became the turning point as Karthikeya smashed a crucial six to deep extra cover, followed by Gautam’s boundary to deep mid-wicket, securing a nail-biting victory for the Tigers. Earlier, Gulbarga Mystics had set a competitive target of 159 runs, finishing at 158/9 after their 20 overs.
Luvnith Sisodia was a standout performer with a valuable 39 runs off 27 balls before being dismissed by Rishi Bopanna. Devdutt Padikkal contributed significantly with 46 runs from 29 balls, including four boundaries and three sixes, before falling to KC Cariappa. Ritesh Bhatkal added 14 runs from 10 balls before being caught by Bopanna off Vidhwath Kaverappa’s delivery. Gulbarga’s innings saw crucial wickets fall, including R Smaran’s runout for 8 runs, KV Aneesh’s dismissal for 10 runs caught by Manish Pandey off Shreesha Achar’s delivery, and Praveen Dubey’s fall for 11 runs, caught by L Manvanth Kumar off Cariappa’s bowling. The opposition bowlers for Hubli played key roles in the Mystics’ struggle. LR Kumar was exceptional, taking 3 wickets for 34 runs in his 3-over spell, including dismissing Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yashovardhan Parantap in his final over. Cariappa supported with 2 wickets for 22 runs, removing Praveen Dubey and Devdutt Padikkal, while Shreesha Achar added another wicket to his tally by dismissing KV Aneesh. In the end, it was Hubli’s determined chase and late heroics that stole the show, leaving fans on the edge of their seats until the very last ball.