Kolhapur miss out on top 2 spot by a whisker
Pune, June 18, 2024: Rahul Tripathi led from the front with an attacking half-century (64, 26b, 6x4s, 5x6s) but PBG Kolhapur Tuskers could not cross the line in their final league match of the Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) 2024 at the MCA International Stadium here Tuesday.
Raigad Royals snapped Kolhapur’s five-game winning streak and defeated them by two runs in a rain-truncated affair. The result means Kolhapur finished third in the points table (10 points; 5 wins; 5 defeats). They will now face Chhatrapati Sambhaji Kings in the eliminator on June 20. Ratnagiri Jets and Eagle Nashik Titans will play Qualifier 1 on June 19.
In a 9-over match, Raigad put up 109 for 8 with Ajay Borude 33 (13b, 5x4s, 1×6) top scoring for Raigad. The last two overs of the Raigad innings fetched them 40 runs – 27 off the 8th over bowled by Umar Shah and 13 off the 9th over bowled by Nihal Tusamad.
In response, Kolhapur skipper came out all guns blazing and single-handedly took his side close to the finish line. Kolhapur needed just 7 off the last over with Tripathi on strike.
However, Tanay Sanghavi castled Tripathi on the first ball to put the life back into the contest. From then on, Kolhapur could not score 7 off 5 balls and fell short by two runs.
Brief scores: Raigad Royals: 109 for 8 in 9 overs (Ajay Borude 33, Naushad Shaikh 23; Shrikant Munde 3-20) bt PBG Kolhapur Tuskers: 107 for 6 (Rahul Tripathi 64, Yogesh Dongare 25; Tanay Sanghavi 2-20) by two runs.
