Divyang Hinganekar, the second-most expensive player in the player auction, came to the party with an all-round display to help Ratnagiri Jets steamroll past Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings and keep his team’s Playoff hopes alive in the Maharashtra Premier League.
Hinganekar’s 15-ball 46 (2x4, 5x6) took the game away from Kings and zoomed the Jets to a respectable total of 173 for five at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium, Pune on Tuesday night.
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Besides getting rid of the dangerous opener Saurabh Navale in the first over, Hinganekar also took two key catches that restricted the Kings to 156 for eight.
It was the Jets’ second win in three games, thus helping it maintain the top-four standing in the points table. Rajvardhan Hangargekar-led Kings, though, suffered its third consecutive loss and will have to pull off a heist by winning its last two games with huge margin to give itself a remote chance of making it to thhe last four.
Hinganekar had had a quiet start to the tournament. But when his team required it the most, he came to the fore. Soon after he replaced Nikhil Naik at the crease in the 16th over, the Jets lost captain Kazi after a sedate fifty. At 115 for five with 23 balls remaining, the Jets was in danger of falling short of par score of 160.
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Hinganekar changed the complexion with four consecutive sixes off Rameshwar Daud’s medium pace in the penultimate over and then finished the innings off on a high with a four off Hangargekar’s last ball of the innings.
With the Jets bowlers keeping this tight under lights, Hangargekar was left with the task of scoring 31 runs off the last over. He started off with two huge sixes off Pradeep Dadhe but the bowler had the last laugh, picking two wickets in succession.
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