Vinay Rao
Hyderabad, June 22: Captain Tanay Thyagarajan produced a sensational all-round display with the bat to guide Ranga Reddy Risers to a five-wicket victory over Anurag Nalgonda Knights in Match 2 of the Sreenidhi University TG20 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Chasing a challenging target of 190, the Risers recovered brilliantly from a precarious 60 for four to reach 190 for five in just 16.3 overs, thanks to an unbeaten 71 off 30 balls from Tanay and a late assault from Nitin Yadav, who smashed an unbeaten 26 off just nine deliveries.
Earlier, Anurag Nalgonda Knights posted a competitive 189 for eight after being put into bat. Divesh Singh top-scored with a fluent 48 off 27 balls, while Harshwardhan Singh provided a strong finish with an unbeaten 40 off 20 deliveries, including five fours and a six.
The Knights suffered early setbacks as B. Punnaiah removed Gaurav Reddy for a duck and Aryan Cariappa struck twice to reduce them to 34 for three. Captain Rahul Buddhi injected momentum with a brisk 30 off 19 balls before Divesh and Varun Goud (26) steadied the innings with a useful partnership.
Punnaiah dealt a crucial double blow in the death overs, dismissing Arfaz Ahmed and Aniketh Reddy off successive deliveries, while Cariappa finished with three wickets to restrict the Knights despite Harshwardhan’s late flourish.
The Risers began their chase aggressively, with Avanish Rao blasting 22 off just six balls. However, quick wickets saw them slump to 60 for four after seven overs, bringing the Knights back into the contest.
Tanay then took charge alongside Aditya Javvaji (41 off 32) as the duo stitched together a crucial 75-run partnership that turned the tide. Tanay reached his half-century in only 23 balls and continued his onslaught with seven fours and five sixes.
After Javvaji’s dismissal, Nitin Yadav applied the finishing touches with a whirlwind unbeaten cameo as the Risers raced home with 21 balls to spare.
Tanay Thyagarajan was deservedly named Player of the Match for his match-winning unbeaten knock.
Brief Scores: Anurag Nalgonda Knights 189/8 in 20 overs (Divesh Singh 48, Harshwardhan Singh 40*, B. Punnaiah 3/42, Aryan Cariappa 3 wickets) lost to Ranga Reddy Risers 190/5 in 16.3 overs (Tanay Thyagarajan 71*, Aditya Javvaji 41, Nitin Yadav 26*, Aniketh Reddy 2/29) by five wickets.
