Milind’s all-round show powers Khammam to 3rd spot with five-wicket win over RR Risers

Skipper CV Milind produced an outstanding all-round performance to power Khammam Aces to a five-wicket win against Ranga Reddy Risers in the HCA’s TG20 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday evening. The victory helped Khammam Aces take a significant step towards confirming their place in the Playoffs as they rise to the third place on the points table.

Milind led the way as he bagged three wickets in the first innings to restrict Risers to 147 for 9. He also played a significant role with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 29 off 21 balls with four boundaries to guide his side over the finish line after vice-captain Himateja Kodimela laid the platform for the chase with a 28-ball 45 with four fours and three sixes. With this result, the Aces ensured that their destiny for the playoff spot remained in their hands.

Milind makes an instant impact

Returning to the side, Aces captain CV Milind instantly made his presence felt as he dismissed Aaron George (4 off 2 balls) off the second ball of the contest. Gnana Prakash Reddy delivered the counterpunch, scoring 15 runs in the third over, to help Risers get back on track. He played the aggressor in the partnership alongside Avanish Rao. The latter fell after scoring a subdued 12 off 10 with a six, with Harshith Sai getting the better of him and conceding a solitary run in the fifth over.

C V Milind, Khammam Aces captain, struck an unbeaten 29 to power his side to a five-wicket win over Ranga Reddy Risers in the HCA’s TG20 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday evening. Pics: Sumeet Parmar / CREIMAS

With Risers in a spot of bother at 38 for 2, Gnana Prakash and Aditya Javvaji stabilised the innings as they stitched together a 39-run stand. The pair rotated strike and capitalised on the loose deliveries to keep the scoreboard ticking before 16-year-old Ved Reddy dismissed Gnana Prakash in the tenth over, bringing an end to his 25-ball 36 which contained five fours and a six.

Shaik Azhar also chipped in to get rid of Raghava Pattapu (2 off 4 balls) in the following over to have Risers reeling at 82 for 4. They once again had to bide their time to rebuild the innings with Aditya and Tanay Thyagarajan at the crease. The pair dragged their side past the three-figure mark in the 13th over as they looked to set the platform for a big finish.

Unfortunately for Risers, they weren’t able to provide the fireworks at the backend of the innings. Aditya’s well-constructed 43 off 37 balls with one four and three sixes was halted by Ved Reddy, who bagged his second wicket of the contest in the 15th over, triggering a collapse for the batting side.

Mickil Jaiswal of Khammam Aces pulls off a brilliant catch to dismiss Nitin Sai Yadav of Ranga Reddy Risers 

Apart from Tanay’s 14 off 11 balls with a six and Nitin Sai Yadav’s 19 off 16 balls with a four and a six, no other batter in the lower order managed to score in double digits. The highlight of the innings came when the latter was dismissed courtesy a spectacular catch from Mickil Jaiswal, who plucked a one-handed blinder at long-off.

As a result, Risers only scored 31 runs in the last five overs. CV Milind proved to be the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 34, while Harshith and Ved Reddy bagged a couple of wickets each, restricting Risers to 147 for 9.

Tricky start for Khammam

It was a tricky start to the run chase as Aces lost three wickets in the powerplay. Wafi Kachchhi (4 off 8 balls) was the first to fall, dismissed by Aryan Cariappa in the second over. Despite the setback, Prateek Reddy and G Sai Krishna Reddy continued to play on the front foot, scoring 17 runs off the following over.

T Arun Kumar of Ranga Reddy Risers celebrates the wicket of Mickil Jaiswal of Khammam Aces 

Risers struck back with twin strikes as T Arun Kumar and Sacheit Binjrajka dismissed Sai Krishna Reddy (14 off 11 balls with one four and a six) and Prateek Reddy (17 off 7 balls with two fours and a six) respectively. However, Risers’ glimmer of hope was quickly wiped out by Himateja and Mickil.

The pair was firing on all cylinders and taking on the bowlers at will, powering their team to 66 for 3 in the powerplay. The partnership put the Aces well ahead of the run rate before the rain break added to the drama.

Aces had a shaky resumption as T Arun Kumar cleaned up Himateja immediately after the restart, breaking the 72-run stand. The district bowler bagged his third wicket as he got the better of Mickil (30 off 22 balls with three fours) in the 15th over. His efforts eventually went in vain as Milind and Sahendra Mallu (4 not out of 7 balls) knocked the ball around and comfortably got Aces over the line with 17 balls to spare.

Himateja Kodimela top scored for Khammam Aces with 45

Brief scores: Ranga Reddy Risers 147 for 9 in 20 overs (Aditya Javvaji 43, Gnana Prakash Reddy 36; CV Milind 3/34, Y Harshith Rai 2/18, Ved Reddy 2/28) lost to Anvita Khammam Aces 150/5 in 17.1 overs (Himateja Kodimela 45, Mickil Jaiswal 30, CV Milind 29 not out; T Arun Kumar 3/24)

Player of the match: CV Milind