Maharashtra Premier League: Puneri Bappa cruises to second consecutive win

After restricting the Kings, led by Gaikwad’s CSK teammate Rajvardhan Hangargekar, to a modest 146 for 8 in 20 overs, opener Pawan Shah’s fifth helped the Puneri Bappa chase it down with 22 balls to spare.

Pawan Shah of Puneri Bappa was named the Player of the Match. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Ruturaj Gaikwad did not open the innings. In fact, the Puneri Bappa walked out to bat only at No. 5 during the side’s run-chase against Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings.

Still, with the bowling attack having restricted Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings to a moderate total, the Bappa outfit cruised to its second consecutive win in the Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) on Sunday night.

After restricting the Kings, led by Gaikwad’s CSK teammate Rajvardhan Hangargekar, to a modest 146 for 8 in 20 overs, opener Pawan Shah’s fifth helped the Puneri Bappa chase it down with 22 balls to spare.

To the delight of a 15,000-plus turnout at the Maharashtra Cricket Association stadium in Pune, skipper Gaikwad’s 29 (18b, 1x4, 2x6s) displayed his prowess while seeing his team home.

Brief scores

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings 146/8 (Om Bhosale 46, Saurabh Nawale 31, Rohan Damle 2/28, Piyush Salvi 2/36) lost to Puneri Bappa 147/3 in 16.2 overs (Pawan Shah 53, Yash Kshirsagar 35) by 7 wickets.