Mumbai, June 8 (IANS) Skipper Suryakumar Yadav led from the front with an unbeaten half-century after Sylvester Dsouza produced the first five-wicket haul of the season to power Triumph Knights MNE to a six-wicket victory over MSC Maratha Royals in the T20 Mumbai League 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.

The result marked Triumph Knights’ first win in four matches this season, while the Royals suffered their second defeat. Dsouza’s spell was also only the fifth five-wicket haul in the tournament’s history, joining an elite list that includes Shivam Dube, Badre Alam, Dhurmil Matkar, and Rohan Raje.

Suryakumar hands his Player of the Match Award to D’souza

In a touching gesture after the match, Suryakumar Yadav handed over his Player of the Match award to Sylvester Dsouza, acknowledging the pacer’s match-winning five-wicket haul and crediting him for laying the foundation for Triumph Knights MNE’s victory.

Chasing 153, Triumph Knights endured an early wobble as openers Akhil Herwadkar (5) and Vedant Murkar (11) fell with just 36 runs on the board. However, Nutan Goel and Suryakumar steadied the innings with a match-defining 103-run partnership for the third wicket.

Goel struck a fluent 56, laced with four boundaries and three sixes, while Suryakumar anchored the chase with an unbeaten 72 off just 36 deliveries. The skipper’s knock featured 13 fours and a six as he guided his side home with four overs to spare. Although Goel departed in the 15th over with the Knights needing only 14 more runs, the pair had already put the result beyond doubt.

Earlier, Dsouza’s outstanding spell helped bowl out the Royals for 152 in 19.5 overs. The Royals found themselves in trouble at 73/5 before Chinmay Sutar (32) and Maxwell Swaminathan (36) revived the innings with a 64-run stand for the sixth wicket.

At 137/5 after 17 overs, the Royals appeared set for a strong finish. However, after Sutar retired, their innings unravelled dramatically as they lost their remaining wickets for just 15 runs. Dsouza finished with a memorable five-for, while Sagar Mishra chipped in with 2/30 to complete a disciplined bowling effort.

Brief scores:

MSC Maratha Royals 152 all out in 19.5 overs (Maxwell Swaminathan 36, Chinmay Sutar 32; Sylvester Dsouza 5/21) lost to Triumph Knights MNE 153/4 in 16 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 72 not out, Nutan Goel 56; Irfan Umair 2/23) by 6 wickets.

–IANS

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