Hyderabad, July 6 (IANS) Anvita Khammam Aces confirmed their place in the top four of the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s TG20 Season 1 with a comfortable 19-run win against Medak Falcons in the first match on Monday.

Himateja Kodimela continued his stellar run, registering his maiden century in the tournament. His unbeaten 103 off 57 balls led him to the top of the Orange Cap standings (430 runs), overtaking Hyderabad E-Champions’ captain Abhirath Reddy (379 runs), and enabled the Aces to post 190/5. This came ahead of E-Champions’ clash against Anurag Nalgonda Knights later in the day.

With the ball, Vidyananda Reddy (2/7), Wafi Kachchhi (2/15), and Harshith Sai (2/31) bagged a brace each to restrict Falcons to 171/7, despite Shrunjith Reddy’s half-century.

Aces suffered an early setback in the contest as Falcons skipper Ravi Teja got the better of G Sai Krishna Reddy (0 off 3) on the third ball of the innings. Wafi Kachchhi and Himateja helped gradually rebuild the innings with regular strike rotation and boundary-hitting before the former fell after scoring 14 off 8 balls, dismissed by Ravi Teja in the third over.

With their team in a spot of bother at 27/2, Mickil Jaiswal (15 off 14) combined with Himateja for a 32-run stand in 21 balls to ensure that the Aces kept scoring at a healthy rate. Arjun Gorrapalli broke the partnership for the Falcons to peg the batting side back right after the Power-play.

However, this didn’t hamper the momentum for Aces as they scored 23 runs off the following over, courtesy of Himateja leading the charge with a 24-ball half-century. Prateek Reddy (32 off 29) played second fiddle alongside him as the pair notched a 99-run stand to keep the scoreboard ticking before the rain put a halt to the proceedings.

After the resumption, Madhukar Manne provided the breakthrough to dismiss Prateek in the eighteenth over and pegged things back for Falcons. Despite the setback, Himateja carried on his sublime form and marched to his century in 55 balls. His exceptional knock included eleven fours and four sixes.

The southpaw combined with his skipper, CV Milind (14* off 9), and stitched together an unbeaten 32-run stand, scoring 27 runs in the last two overs. They powered their side to a strong finish, helping them post 190/5.

Falcons were off to a blazing start to their run chase with Naman Agarwal (32 off 19) and Shrunjith scoring 22 runs after a couple of overs. The latter was on the attack, smashing three fours and a couple of sixes as his side raced their way to 57 runs in the first five overs, setting the platform for the team.

Vidyananda Reddy delivered pivotal twin strikes in the final over of the powerplay to break the back of the Falcons’ chase. The left-arm spinner dismissed Naman and Ravi Teja in a matter of three balls to turn the game on its head. Vikram Naik (7 off 11) provided some stability alongside Shrunjith, who registered his half-century in 39 balls.

The pair scored 25 off 28 before Ved Reddy got the prized scalp of Vikram in the eleventh over. Wafi then delivered another double blow in the fifteenth over, sending Shrunjith and Sai Varun Yerram back in the hut to have the Falcons reeling at 113/5.

N Surya Teja (26 off 19) provided a bit of respite for the Falcons with his knock, scoring 26 off 19 balls. However, the series of double strikes continued with Harshith Sai bagging two wickets in the eighteenth over to get rid of Surya and Sashanth Budthi (0 off 2).

Ishan Sharma delivered some fireworks towards the end, registering a quickfire 15-ball 34*. His spirited effort wasn’t enough for the Falcons on the day as they fell short by 19 runs, wrapping up their season with a solitary win.

Brief scores:

Anvita Khammam Aces 190/5 in 20 overs (Himateja Kodimela 103*, Prateek Reddy 32, Ravi Teja 2/48) bt Medak Falcons 171/7 in 20 overs (Shrunjith Reddy 60, Ishan Sharma 34*, Vidyananda ReShrunjith Reddy 60, Ishan Sharma 34*, Vidyananda Reddy 2/7) by 19 runs

–IANS

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