Hyderabad, June 25 (IANS) Palamuru Strikers registered their first win of the season, producing a disciplined all-round performance to seal a five-wicket victory over Medak Falcons in the second match of the day in Season 1 of the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s TG20 on Thursday.

Rishab Baslas (2/33) and Ravi Kiran (2/34) were the pick of the bowlers for the Strikers as they restricted their opponents to 164/9. Vignesh Reddy’s quickfire 39 off 22 set the platform, while Rohit Rayudu’s unbeaten 54 off 42 balls anchored the run chase for Strikers, guiding them home with 13 balls to spare.

From the outset, the Strikers’ bowlers kept the Falcons’ batters under constant pressure. Ravi Kiran struck in the very first over, dismissing Purnanand Rao (1 off 2), before returning in the fourth to remove Naman Agarwal (21 off 13) and further slow the Falcons’ scoring rate.

After Ahwinan Ram (12 off 10) retired out, captain Ravi Teja and Shrunjith Reddy (19 off 19) looked to rebuild. However, the Strikers continued to tighten their grip, with Rathan Teja clean bowling Shrunjith before Rohit Rayudu had Ravi Teja edging behind to wicketkeeper Pragnay Reddy after a brisk 13 off seven deliveries.

Reduced to 77/5, the Falcons turned to Varun Yerram (36 off 23) and Vikram Naik (36 off 33), who stitched together a vital partnership to steady the innings. While the pair rotated the strike effectively, the Strikers’ disciplined bowling made boundaries difficult to come by, with the Falcons reaching the 100-run mark only in the 13th over.

Varun and Vikram gradually found their rhythm, adding a valuable 64-run stand to revive the innings. However, Rishab Baslas swung the momentum firmly back in the Strikers’ favour, breaking the partnership by dismissing Varun before removing Ishan Sharma (6 off 2) in the same over.

Baslas’ double strike all but ended the Falcons’ resistance. Vikram Naik, who had battled hard throughout the innings, was dismissed in the final over as the Falcons were restricted to 164/9 from their 20 overs.

In response, the Falcons made the perfect start with the ball as Varun Yerram struck in the opening over, inducing Karan Yadav (0 off 1) to hole out to Naman Agarwal. Yerram struck again soon after, dismissing Pragnay Reddy (15 off 10), to leave the Palamuru Strikers under early pressure.

Vignesh then joined Rohit at the crease, and the pair steadied the innings with a composed partnership. Rotating the strike efficiently while capitalising on loose deliveries, the duo added 59 runs off just 36 balls to wrest back the momentum. Just as the partnership began to flourish, Syed Ghazi Abbas provided the Falcons with a crucial breakthrough by dismissing the dangerous Vignesh.

Shrunjith Reddy further raised the Falcons’ hopes by clean bowling Shadab Ahmed (3 off 3), but Rohit continued to anchor the chase with a measured knock. He found able support from Rathan Teja (23 off 20), who chipped in before being bowled by Ravi Teja.

Rohit brought up his maiden half-century of the season in style, launching Shrunjith Reddy for a six in the 18th over. With victory within touching distance, Pratheek Pawar finished the chase emphatically with a couple of boundaries as the Strikers sealed the win with 13 balls to spare.

Brief scores:

Medak Falcons 164/9 in 20 overs (Vikram Naik 36, Varun Yerram 36, Rishab Baslas 2/33, Ravi Kiran 2/34) lost to Palamuru Strikers 165/5 in 17.5 overs (Rohit Rayudu 54*, Vignesh Reddy 39, Varun Yerram 2/20) by five wickets

–IANS

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