Hyderabad, June 29 (IANS) Anurag Nalgonda Knights secured their third win on the trot, registering a comprehensive six-wicket victory against Palamuru Strikers in the first match of the day in the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s TG20 at the G. M. C. Balayogi Stadium at Gachibowli in Hyderabad on Monday.

Knights’ bowlers were sensational in executing their plans as Md Arfaz Ahmed (3/39) and Nishanth Saranu (2/16) were the standouts, restricting the Strikers to 148/9. Skipper Rahul Buddhi (68* off 40) held his nerve in the run chase to lead his side to a comfortable victory with 28 balls to spare, helping them jump to second on the points table.

It was a wobbly start for the Strikers as they lost three wickets in the Power-play. A run out cost the in-form Vignesh Reddy his wicket in the first over, while Aniketh Reddy (1/18) got the better of Karan Yadav (0 off 2) in the following over to have the batting side reeling at 5/2. Strikers found themselves in deeper trouble as Arfaz bounced out Rohit Rayudu (4 off 10) in the fifth over.

Pragnay Reddy (55 off 35) led the counterpunch to add some impetus to the innings as he stitched a 37-run stand with Chaitanya Reddy (17 off 18). The latter rotated strike cleverly before he too succumbed to Divesh Singh in the ninth over.

With their team in trouble, Pragnay and Rathan Teja (50 off 33) dug deep to strike a 74-run stand in 50 balls. Both batters displayed maturity to rotate strike regularly while also finding boundaries at regular intervals as they struck their respective half-centuries in 32 balls. The duo carried their side past the 100-run mark and seemingly set the platform for a big finish.

They scored 22 runs off the 17th over before Nishanth broke the partnership to dismiss both batters within a span of four deliveries in the 18th over. The twin strikes left Strikers struggling at 134/6. They scored only 14 runs in the last two overs, losing three wickets in the final over, courtesy a brilliant performance from the Knights bowlers as they restricted the Strikers to 148/9.

Debutant Jashwanth Mote (17 off 11) and Gaurav Reddy (18 off 10) got the Knights off to a strong start in the run chase, with the openers scoring 21 runs in the first couple of overs. Rishab Baslas gave the Strikers a glimmer of hope as he dismissed both openers in successive overs, putting the Knights in a spot of bother at 47/2 in the fifth over.

Skipper Rahul and Nitish Reddy (19 off 15) steadied the ship for the batting side, with the former taking the onus on himself to keep up with the scoring rate as he unleashed a range of strokes. They constructed a 48-run partnership to wipe off a chunk of the target.

Rohit got the better of Nitish in the tenth over with Varun Goud (13 off 12) falling to a soft dismissal soon after. However, Rahul made sure he finished the job for his side. He amassed his fifty with a maximum, reaching the milestone in 30 balls. His knock included seven fours and three sixes, as he comfortably led his side over the line with 28 balls to spare.

Brief scores:

Palamuru Strikers 148/9 in 20 overs (Pragnay Reddy 55, Rathan Teja 50, Md Arfaz Ahmed 3/39, Nishanth Saranu 2/16) lost to Anurag Nalgonda Knights 149/4 in 15.2 overs (Rahul Buddhi 68*, Nitish Reddy 19, Rishab Baslas 2/26) by six wickets.

–IANS

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