Indore, June 17 (IANS) In another high-scoring fixture in the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 Scindia Cup 2026, Bhopal Leopards chased down a target of 195 by five wickets against Malwa Stallions with more than an over to spare at Holkar Stadium, Indore, to return to winning ways.

Malwa Stallions posted a competitive 194/9 in their allotted 20 overs after being put in to bat, in an innings that was briefly interrupted by rain.

The Stallions suffered an early setback when Saksham Purohit was dismissed for 5 off just 4 deliveries. However, Ansh Yadav and Akhil Nigote Yadav steadied the innings with a solid 57-run partnership for the second wicket.

Ansh departed for 13 off 11 balls, but Akhil continued to anchor the innings and brought up a fine half-century. He then combined with skipper Ashutosh Sharma to add 39 runs for the third wicket. Ashutosh played an aggressive hand, scoring 32 off 18 deliveries before being dismissed.

Akhil’s impressive knock came to an end at 63 off 36 balls, but Malwa continued to find valuable contributions from the middle order. Parth Sahani played a crucial cameo of 41 off 24 balls, while Rishabh Chouhan chipped in with 19 off 16 deliveries. Sachin Vishwakarma added a useful 12 off 8 balls towards the end as the Stallions finished with a challenging total on the board.

For the opposition, Anurag Malviya was the standout bowler, claiming 3/36 from his four overs, while Pranjul Puri picked up two wickets for 33 runs in his spell.

In reply, the Bhopal Leopards got off to a flying start with Rahul Chandrol and Tanishq Yadav adding 33 runs for the opening wicket in just 3.2 overs. Chandrol was the first to depart after a quickfire 24 off 14 deliveries.

Tanishq then joined forces with captain Aniket Verma, and the duo took complete control of the chase with an aggressive batting display. Verma looked in sublime touch, particularly targeting Parth Sahani, whom he smashed for three sixes in a single over.

The Stallions finally found a breakthrough when Ashutosh Sharma had Tanishq caught behind for a well-made 37 off 23 balls. However, the Leopards remained firmly in command at 108/2 after 10 overs, with Verma continuing his onslaught from one end.

The skipper soon brought up a brilliant half-century, but the Stallions attempted a comeback by striking a couple of timely blows, including the prized wicket of Verma. He departed after a blistering 60 off just 29 deliveries, an innings studded with five sixes and five fours.

Despite the setback, Ansh Bagadia and Himanshu Shinde ensured the chase was in control. The pair stitched together a crucial 62-run partnership for the fifth wicket, keeping the required run rate well under control. Bagadia contributed 29 off 20 balls before falling with the Leopards needing just one run for victory.

Kamal Tripathi eventually hit the winning runs, while Himanshu Shinde remained unbeaten on 32 off 18 deliveries as Bhopal Leopards completed a comfortable chase.

Reflecting on the win, Aniket Verma said, “My approach was simple. In the powerplay, I wanted to spend a little time at the crease, settle in, and then build the innings one ball at a time. The idea was to ensure we found at least one boundary every over so that the required run rate never got out of control. I wasn’t really looking at my strike rate, but in hindsight, I feel I could have taken the game even deeper and finished it myself. That’s something I’ll look to improve in the coming matches.”

–IANS

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