T20 Mumbai League: Supersonics tames Tigers, sails into final

Bista and Tank’s mammoth opening stand of 196 sets up the side’s emphatic win.

Thanks to Bista and Tank’s opening partnership of 196, Supersonics amassed 217 for four against a hapless Tigers attack.

Captain Jay Bista, his opening partner Hersh Tank and left-arm spinner Dhrumil Matkar rewrote the record books as SoBo Supersonics rolled over Aakash Tigers MWS in the second semifinal of the second edition of T20 Mumbai .

Thanks to Bista and Tank’s opening partnership of 196, Supersonics amassed 217 for four against a hapless Tigers attack. Matkar then came to the party to ensure that Supersonics bowled out the Tigers for 191 in the 19th over and set up a summit clash against Prithvi Shaw’s North Mumbai Panthers at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

While Bista recorded the first hundred in the tournament’s history, the opening stand too was the best-ever. Supersonics’ total was the highest of the season, and second-highest overall, while Matkar recorded the first five-wicket haul this year — and only the third overall — to peg back the Tigers.

Bista and Tank’s batting was the feature of the night. Bista employed his favourite cut shot at will, drove the spinners with aplomb and exploded in the death overs. He even executed a Dhoni-like helicopter shot that sailed over the wide long-on fence.

Matkar took the fizz out of the chase by dismissing Arjun Tendulkar and Bhavin Thakkar in the second over. Despite cameos from captain Dhawal Kulkarni, D. Subramanian and Aakarshit Gomel, Supersonics continued to strike regularly.