Hyderabad, July 10 (IANS) Anvita Khammam Aces booked their place in the final of the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s TG20 with a thrilling 10-run victory over Hyderabad E-Champions in Qualifier 1 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Powered by Mickil Jaiswal’s unbeaten 76 and a disciplined bowling effort led by Sahendra Mallu (3/31) as well as Harshith Sai’s disciplined final over, the Aces successfully defended 200 to hand Hyderabad E-Champions their first defeat of the tournament, ending the league leaders’ unbeaten run.

While Anvita Khammam Aces advance directly to the final on Sunday, July 12, Hyderabad E-Champions will have another opportunity to qualify when they face EIPL & eleve Karimnagar Diamonds in Qualifier 2 on Friday, July 10, after the Diamonds defeated Ranga Reddy Risers by 75 runs in Thursday’s Eliminator.

Aces made a steady start after being put in to bat, with Paras Raj (32 off 18) leading the early charge despite the loss of Wafi Kachchhi (3 off 5). Paras took the attack to Akhil Rathod with two towering sixes before continuing his aggressive approach against Shanmukha Ashwin, striking a six and a four to help the Aces race to 49/1 after five overs.

However, Ajay Dev Goud struck immediately after the Power-play, dismissing Paras to peg the innings back.

G Sai Krishna Reddy (40 off 30) and Ananth Prateek Reddy (18 off 11) then rebuilt calmly, rotating the strike while keeping the scoreboard ticking. Sai Krishna broke the shackles with a six off Anvith Reddy before Ananth shifted gears, launching Pranav Varma for a six and a four in the opening deliveries of the 10th over.

Pranav, however, responded with the crucial wicket of Ananth off the very next ball, leaving Anvita Khammam Aces well placed at 87/3 at the halfway stage.

Mickil Jaiswal and Sai Krishna ensured Aces maintained the momentum after the halfway stage, adding quick runs against the Hyderabad E-Champions attack. Sai Krishna accelerated with a six before Akhil Rathod ended his impressive knock, having him caught by Ganesh Gadugu for 40 off 30, leaving the Aces at 98/4 after 11 overs.

Mickil then took charge alongside skipper CV Milind (17 off 12), steadily rebuilding the innings with regular boundaries. Milind struck a six and a four off Shanmukha Ashwin and Pranav Varma, respectively. At the same time, Mickil matched him stroke for stroke with a six off Ashwin and consecutive boundaries against Ajay Dev Goud to bring up a brilliant half-century off just 26 balls.

After Ashwin dismissed Milind, Sahendra Mallu (9 off 8) joined Mickil as the duo added crucial late runs, with Mickil smashing two sixes off Ajay Dev Goud in the 18th over before finishing in spectacular fashion with three more sixes in the final over.

The unbeaten Mickil Jaiswal finished on 76 off 34, anchoring the innings with seven sixes and four boundaries, as the late assault helped the Aces pile on 113 runs in the final 10 overs to finish with a formidable 200/6.

E-Champions began their chase aggressively despite an early setback as skipper Abhirath Reddy (1 off 3) fell in the second over. Sai Vikas Reddy (69 off 27), however, took charge immediately, smashing back-to-back sixes off Harshith Sai before adding another maximum and a flurry of boundaries to propel the E-Champions to 37/1 after three overs.

Sai Vikas continued his assault through the powerplay, finding regular boundaries against Milind and Vidyananda Reddy, while Anvith Reddy (16 off 16) played the supporting role. The pair guided E-Champions to a commanding 71/1 at the end of the Power-play.

Aces struck back soon after as 16-year-old Ved Reddy dismissed Anvith, but Sai Vikas remained unstoppable, bringing up a breathtaking half-century before hammering another boundary to race to 69. Ved eventually ended his whirlwind knock in the ninth over, leaving E-Champions at 100/3.

Ganesh Gadugu ensured there was no further wobble, taking the attack to Shaik Azhar with two towering sixes in the 10th over. Their late flourish lifted E-Champions to 114/3 at the halfway stage, firmly in control of the chase.

Ganesh and Pranav Varma rebuilt cautiously after the halfway stage, rotating the strike well. Pranav found the boundary off Sahendra Mallu before Ganesh’s steady knock ended on 123/4, caught by Ananth Prateek Reddy off Sahendra Mallu for 27 off 16.

Ajay Dev Goud then injected momentum into the chase, striking a towering six and a boundary off Ved Reddy against Sahendra Mallu. However, Sahendra produced another crucial breakthrough by dismissing Ajay for 13 off 10, reducing E-Champions to 140/5 after 14 overs.

Pranav Varma (26 off 22) and Vaishnav Reddy (21* off 16) stitched together a useful partnership, with Pranav launching Sahendra for a six before Vidyananda Reddy removed him in the 17th over. The Aces tightened the screws further as Sahendra dismissed P Arvind (0 off 4) and Milind trapped Shanmukha Ashwin (1 off 4) LBW, leaving the E-Champions struggling at 176/8.

Vaishnav fought till the very end, striking a six off Sahendra Mallu before adding a boundary in the final over off Harshith Sai. Akhil Rathod remained unbeaten on 8 off 4 and chipped in with a six in the closing stages, but E-Champions could only reach 190/8, falling 10 runs short despite Vaishnav’s unbeaten effort.

Brief scores:

Anvita Khammam Aces 200/6 in 20 overs (Mickil Jaiswal 76*, G Sai Krishna Reddy 40, Paras Raj 32, Akhil Rathod 2/33, Pranav Varma 1/32) beat Hyderabad E-Champions 190/8 in 20 overs (Sai Vikas Reddy 69, Ganesh Gadugu 27, Pranav Varma 26, Ved Reddy 2/33, Sahendra Mallu 3/31) by 10 runs

–IANS

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