Aces Milind, Mickil & Himateja help Khammam clinch last-over thriller against Karimnagar

In a battle of nerves, Khammam held the Aces as they scripted a thrilling eight-run win over Karimnagar Diamonds in a high-scoring contest that went down to the wire in the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s TG20 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad, on Friday night.

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Half-centuries from Mickil Jaiswal and K Himateja powered the Aces to 213 for 6, before skipper CV Milind produced a match-winning spell of 4 for 21, helping the Aces withstand a record-breaking assault from N Satwik Reddy to secure a memorable win.

Himateja Kodimela of Khammam Aces plays a shot against Karimnagar Diamonds at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday night. Pics: Sumeet Parmar / CREIMAS

Karimnagar Diamonds made the perfect start, striking twice in consecutive overs to remove openers Wafi Kachchhi (0 off 2 balls) and Mayank Gupta (2 off 3 balls), leaving Khamma Aces reeling early on.

Himateja and Mickil salvage the innings

With the innings in trouble, K Himateja (56 off 33 balls with three fours and six sixes) launched a spirited counterattack, taking the attack to the bowlers from the outset. He raced to a well-crafted half-century in just 24 balls, bringing up the milestone with a towering six, and stitched together a game-changing 99-run partnership off just 48 balls with G Sai Krishna Reddy.

Sai Krishna (43 off 25 balls with five fours and three sixes) survived a major scare on 43 when Ashish Srivastav held onto a return catch, only for it to be ruled a no-ball. The reprieve proved short-lived, however, as Srivastav trapped him LBW just two deliveries later to break the threatening stand.

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The breakthrough slowed the Aces’ momentum. Himateja struggled to maintain the scoring rate before holing out to Hrishikesh Simha off Harish Thakur, who claimed his second wicket of the innings. Prateek Reddy (19 off 10 balls) departed soon after, further denting the Aces.

Khammam Aces skipper C V Milind rocked Karimnagar Diamonds early on. Pic: Times of India

With wickets falling around him, Mickil Jaiswal and CV Milind (16 off 13 balls) steadied the innings. Milind played the supporting role before falling to Harish Thakur, but Jaiswal immediately shifted the momentum back with a towering six.

Jaiswal then took complete control, bringing up his second consecutive half-century in just 30 balls. His unbeaten 64 off 34 deliveries, featuring a four and six mighty sixes, powered the Aces to a formidable 213.

Milind strikes terror in Diamonds’ ranks

In reply, Karimnagar Diamonds endured a disastrous start, losing skipper Tanmay Agarwal (0 off 1 ball) and Hrishikesh Simha (0 off 3 balls) inside the opening over to CV Milind. Rahul Radesh (4 off 5 balls) briefly counterattacked but was also dismissed by Milind in the third over, reducing the Diamonds to 28 for 3.

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With the chase in trouble, Satwik Reddy produced a sensational counterattack. He took on Vidyananda Reddy and Sahendra Mallu with fearless strokeplay, including a remarkable fifth over that yielded 28 runs with four successive sixes. Satwik brought up his half-century in just 16 balls, the fastest in the tournament thus far.

N Satwik Reddy of Karimnagar Diamonds hits a boundary against Khammam Aces

The Aces, however, hit back with timely wickets. Wafi dismissed Harish Thakur before Ved Reddy removed the dangerous Satwik Reddy, who fell for a scintillating 63 off 27 balls with two fours and seven sixes, leaving the Diamonds at 97 for 5.

Chandan Sahani then sparked another revival, smashing five sixes across two overs. Alongside Shubham Sharma, he lifted the Diamonds to 130 for 5 and briefly swung the momentum back in their favour.

Shubham keeps chase alive

The Aces responded immediately as Sahendra Mallu dismissed Chandan (38 off 17 balls with one four and five sixes), while CV Milind accounted for Narayana Teja (13 off 11 balls) after Ved completed a stunning catch. Shubham continued to fight alongside Ashish Srivastav, but regular wickets kept the asking rate out of reach.

Karimnagar Diamonds’ Shubham Sharma essays a pull shot against Khammam Aces 

Needing 17 off the final over, Shubham (53 not out of 36 balls with six fours and a six) kept the chase alive with consecutive boundaries off the first two deliveries. However, Mahesh Vipparla held his nerve brilliantly, conceding just four runs from the remaining four balls sealed a thrilling eight-run victory.

Brief scores: Khammam Aces 213 for 6 in 20 overs (Mickil Jaiswal 64 not out, K Himateja 56, G Sai Krishna Reddy 43; Harish Thakur 3/40) beat Karimnagar Diamonds 205 for 9 in 20 overs (Satwik Reddy 63, Shubham Sharma 53 not out, Chandan Sahani 38; CV Milind 4/21, Sahendra Mallu 2/49).

Player of the match: CV Milind.