Tiigers of Kolkata, Chennai Singams seal semi-final spots

Khel Today Bureau 

Mumbai: Tiigers of Kolkata scored 43 runs in the last two overs to beat Srinagar Ke Veer by 6 wickets while Chennai Singams, held their nerves to get the better of Falcon Risers Hyderabad by 13 runs to advance to the semi-finals of the inaugural Indian Street Premier League T10 tennis ball cricket tournament at the Dadoji Kondadev stadium here on Wednesday.

In the first match of the day, Fardeen Kazi (26 runs of 6 balls) and Man-of-the-match Bhavesh Pawar (20 runs of 6 balls) hit the ball all around the park in the final two overs to ensure that Tiigers of Kolkata successful chased down a target of 110 runs and moved up to second spot in the overall standings.

Srinagar ke Veer, who had already qualified for the semi-finals, slipped to third position. Majhi Mumbai is the other team that has made it to the semi-finals.

Later in the day, Farman Khan bowled a maiden ninth over as Chennai Singams defended a 94-run target to finish fourth.

In the semi-finals, Chennai Singams will meet Majhi Mumbai while Tiigers of Kolkata and Srinagar ke Veer will face off once again.

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.

With three of the four teams in action on the final day of the group stage, there was a lot to play for and Tiigers of Kolkata chose to bowl against Srinagar ke Veer in a must-win encounter.

They then kept chipping away wickets are regular interval to keep Srinagar ke Veer’s scoring in check. However, a 22-ball 36 from Aishwary Surve and a swashbuckling 31 runs of just 9 balls from skipper Omkar Patil took the team over the 100-run mark and set Tiigers of Kolkata a target of 110 runs.

Knowing well that a victory would seal a semi-final sport for them, Tiigers of Kolkata skipper Prathamesh Pawar promoted himself to the top of the order and scored a quick-fire 36 of 23 balls to set up the foundation of the chase.

Left-hander Bhavesh Pawar then hit Pritam Bari for three consecutive sixes in the ninth over as Tiigers of Kolkata scored 27 runs and then Fardeen Kazi hit a six and two boundaries in the final over of Bhushan Gole to seal the victory.

Later, Falcon Risers Hyderabad opted to bowl first as they not only needed to win against Chennai Singams but had to win big to improve their net run rate. 

And their hopes would have been raised after restricting the Chennai outfit to 93/6. But their batsmen fell to get going in the chase as Dilip Binjwa claimed four wickets for 23 runs and Rajdeep Jadeja took 3 wickets for 19 runs. Despite that Hyderabad were in the match till Farman Khan delivered a maiden in the ninth over to finish with figures of one for 5.

About the Indian Street Premier League (ISPL):

The Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) is India’s pioneering tennis ball T10 cricket tournament played inside a stadium. Its inaugural edition is currently underway from March 6th to March 15th, 2024. This season, Mumbai will be 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 league not only promises thrilling on-field action but also aspires to revolutionize sports entertainment. Attendees can anticipate a vibrant musical festival with live performances, mesmerizing drone shows, breath-taking laser displays, and DJ Chetas spinning the latest beats, creating a seamless blend of cricket prowess and entertainment extravagance. The ISPL aims to redefine the sports entertainment landscape with this unprecedented fusion.