Published: June 18, 2026 at 1:11 pm
K Ashwin Hebbar led from the front as Vijayawada Sunshiners carved out a 19-run win over Tungabhadra Warriors as the Andhra Premier League action shifted to the YS Raja Reddy Cricket Stadium in Kadapa on Wednesday.
Hebbar won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. The move paid off as Hebbar and M Abhinav added 43 off 31 balls for the first wicket before Abhinav was caught by KSS Jayanth off Pranay Kumar after making an 18-ball 20 with three fours.
Vijayawada Sunshiners post resounding 51-run win over Kakinada Kings in APL 2026
Hebbar combined forces with M Harsha Vardhan (4) as they added 38 off 22 balls with the skipper doing the bulk of the scoring. Harsha was trapped leg before by Deepak.
DB Prashanth Kumar joined the skipper, and the duo took the score to 107 before Prashanth was caught by Jayanth off Hima Srinivas for 7.
Hebbar was then joined by Shaik Zaheer Abbas and the runs flowed at a brisk pace. They added 37 off 23 balls before the skipper finally was sent back to the dug-out. Hebbar was caught by Anand Josiah off Deepak after making 85 off 48 balls with nine fours and four sixes.
Zaheer takes charge after Hebbar’s departure
Zaheer Abbas took over the proceedings after the depart of his skipper and in the company of P Panduranga Raju took the score to 187. The pair added 43 off just 19 balls before Pandu was caught by Saurabh off a Hima Srinivas delivery for 22 (11 balls; 3×4).
Zaheer Abbas was unbeaten on a 25-ball 52 with three fours and four sixes as Vijayawada Sunshiners made 198 for six in their 20 overs.
Ashwin Hebbar got his half-century off 26 balls with six fours and three sixes, while Zaheer Abbas got it in 25 balls with three fours and four sixes.
M Deepak took two for 43 and S Hima Srinivas got two for 42 for Tungabhadra Warriors.
Bharat bags four wickets
In reply, Tungabhadra Warriors lost opener CR Gnaneshwar (6) for 19. He was caught by DB Prashanth off Lalith Mohan. However, MS Samanyu Datta and G Rohit steadied the innings with a 43-run partnership off 26 balls before Datta was caught and bowled by T Bharath. Datta topscored for the Warriors with a 24-ball 51 with nine fours and three sixes.
Thereafter, the Warriors lost two quick wickets to be reduced to 87 for four. Rohit was trapped leg before by Bharat after making a 17-ball 22 with three fours and a six. MK Datta Reddy was caught by Abhinav of Bharat for 5.
KSs Jayanth and S Hima Srinivas then added 23 for the fifth wicket before Srinivas (13) was caught by DB Prashanth Kumar off Siddhardha. Jayanth and K Anand Josiah took the score to 142 before Josiah (19) was caught by Ashwin Hebbar off Bharath.
Vijayawada Sunshiners’ skipper Ashwin Hebbar was named Player of the Match
Jayanth was the seventh wicket to fall after making 29. Saurabh Kumar (23 not out) and M Deepak (6 not out) added 28 for the unbroken ninth wicket but it was not sufficient to cross the mark.
Tungabhadra Warriors finished with 179 for eight in their 20 overs. T Bharath took four for36 and GS Venakata Sumit took two for 30.
Ashwin Hebbar was named the Player of the Match
Brief scores: Vijayawada Sunshiners 198 for six in 20 overs (M Abhinav 20, K Ashwin Hebbar 85, Shaik Zaheer Abbas 52 not out, P Pandu Ranga Raju 22; S Hima Srinivas 2/42, M Deepak 2/43) beat Tungabhadra Warriors 179 for 8 in 20 overs (MS Samanyu Datta 51, G Rohit 22, KSS Jayanth 29, Saurabh Kumar 23; T Bharath 4/36, GS Venkata Sumit 2/30).
