Siddharth Mhatre, the inexperienced allrounder who is also an ambidextrous bowler, gave a glimpse of his promise by steering Kolhapur Tuskers past Puneri Bappa in the second qualifier and set up a grand finale versus Ratnagiri Jets in the Maharashtra Premier League.
Mhatre’s composed fifty and an unbroken all-left-handed batters’ association of 53 runs for the sixth wicket with Sahil Autade meant the Tuskers cruised to a five-wicket win with 10 balls to spare in the second qualifier.
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With Ruturaj Gaikwad continuing to not risk an injury ahead of departing for the West Indies tour, the Bappa batting line-up was restricted to 133 for seven. With Sachin Bhosale, the left-arm pacer who is the highest wicket-taker of the tournament, continuing his dream run, the Tuskers were in deep trouble at 16 for three.
Bhosale got rid of captain Kedar Jadhav in the first over and Ankeet Bawane in his next. Off the next ball, Kirtiraj Wadekar perished for a duck and Mhatre, getting his first look in with the willow, had to first save the hat-trick ball.
By the time Autade, the big-hittter joined him, Mhatre was set and rotating strike at will. With 53 required off 41 balls, Mhatre took calculated risks to not just help his team cross the line in style but also celebrate his fifty before scoring the winning run.
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