Dilip Binjwa defends six runs in last over to help Chennai Singams register their second win

Khel Today Bureau 

Mumbai: Chennai Singams came up yet sensational bowling performance to register their second successive win in the Indian Street Premier League T10 tennis ball cricket tournament at the Dadoji Kondadev stadium here on Friday. Singams, who had the better of Tiigers of Kolkata in their opening match on Thursday, were not as free flowing with the bat but once again came up with a solid bowling performance to beat Bangalore Strikers by three runs and go on top of the standings.

Left-arm medium pacer, Dilip Binjwa did the star-turn for the winning team as he successfully defended six runs in the final over and ended with three wickets for just four runs.

This was also the second consecutive loss for the Bangalore Strikers, who will now have an uphill task to make it to the knock-out stage.

The Indian Street Premier League – T10 is a pioneering Tennis Cricket League with a primary mission to discover, nurture, and elevate cricketers from grassroots levels. It endeavours to unite the finest local cricket talent in India, creating a comprehensive platform for players to showcase their skills.

Defending a modest total of 99 for 7, Chennai Singams looked in trouble when Bangalore Strikers raced to 74 for 4 in seven overs with big hitter Mansoor KL going strong.

Bangalore Strikers had started cautiously as they wanted to avoid losing early wickets. At the halfway stage, they had reached 28 for 3 and looked a bit in trouble.

But then they decided to target Chennai’s star bowler of the opening match, R Thavith Kumar for a 50-50 over and successfully executed the plan. Pramanik scored two sixes and Mansoor KL sent two more over the fence to help the team score 26 runs and get a bonus of 13 to put them in the driver’s seat.

However, Chennai Singams stuck to their game plan and found a hero in Binjwa in the final over.

Earlier, Chennai Singams had failed to capitalise on a solid start thanks to opener Ketan Mhatre quickfire 25 runs of just 15 balls. They lost quick wickets in the middle overs and only a late cameo from Bablu Patil (29 runs in 15 balls) helped them set a competitive target.

For the Bangalore Strikers, Saroj Paramanik gave away just 13 runs in his two overs and claimed two wickets while Ashiq Ali Shamsu ended with figures of 1 for 16.

About the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL):

The Indian Street Premier League (ISPL), India’s pioneering tennis ball T10 cricket tournament to be played inside a stadium,  its inaugural edition started from March 6th and final will be played on March 15th, 2024. This season, Mumbai is the epicentre of new-age cricket entertainment, featuring six competitive teams – Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, and Srinagar. ISPL ignites fresh anticipation among cricket fans across the nation, coming after a spectacular line-up of celebrity superstars taking up the mantle as team owners – Amitabh Bachchan (Mumbai), Akshay Kumar (Srinagar), Hrithik Roshan (Bengaluru), Suriya (Chennai), Ram Charan (Hyderabad) and Saif & Kareena (Kolkata). The ISPL aims to redefine the sports entertainment landscape with this unprecedented fusion.