Radesh hits ton and Sahani gets a half-century as Karimnagar Diamonds rout Medak Falcons

Rahul Radesh slammed an excellent century to help Karimnagar Diamonds continue their rise to the top with an exceptional 133-run victory over Medak Falcons during the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s TG20 on Tuesday.

With a second win in as many games, they are now fourth on the points table.

Rahul Radesh was excellent with the bat, scoring 101 off 48 balls, including eight fours and eight sixes, while Chandan Sahani (56 not out of 36 balls with five fours and three sixes) also chipped in to power the Diamonds to 232 for 4.

Ashish Srivastav (2 for 13) and Shubham Sharma (2 for 16) led the charge with the ball as they bundled out Falcons for 99 in 19.1 overs in what is the lowest total in the tournament to date.

Rahul Radesh of Karimnagar Diamonds plays a shot during their TG20 match against Medak Falcons at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Pics: Sumeet Parmar / CREIMAS

Diamonds got off to a steady start with Satwik Reddy and Tanmay Agarwal (11 off 9 balls) laying the platform for their side. The former led the charge as they scored 21 runs off the third over, rollicking along at 40 for no loss. Kartikeya Kak provided the breakthrough for the Falcons, dismissing the Diamonds’ captain in the fourth over.

That wrestled back momentum for the bowling side as Sai Varun Yerram also got rid of Sai Sharan (11 off 10 balls), with Falcons conceding only 14 runs in the latter half of the powerplay. Skipper Ravi Teja bagged the prized scalp of Satwik Reddy, who scored 35 off 18, including 4 fours and a couple of maximums, in the seventh over, putting the batting side in a spot of bother at 58 for 3.

Radesh and Sahani bid their time

Rahul Radesh and Chandan Sahani bid their time by knocking the ball around and rotating strike to rebuild in the middle overs. The two found some rhythm as they began to accelerate in the 13th over, adding some impetus to the innings.

The pivotal moment of the match came in the 15th over, where Rahul took Ahwinan Ram to the cleaners. He smashed four sixes as he marauded his way to a 30-ball fifty. Chandan also made his presence felt, as they scored 35 runs off the over, making it the most expensive over of the tournament so far.

The pair continued to put the Falcons bowlers under the pump as they found boundaries at will. Rahul blazed his way to a sensational century (the fifth of TG20) in 46 balls. Chandan also notched up his half-century in 30 balls, as the two batters swung the pendulum in their side’s favour. They combined for the highest partnership of the tournament, scoring 163 runs off 76 balls.

Chandan Sahani of Karimnagar Diamonds essay a shot during his unbeaten 56 against Medak Falcons 

Madhukar Manne eventually got the better of Rahul in the final over, but the damage had been done by then. The colossal partnership provided a strong finish for the Diamonds as they scored 135 runs in the last eight overs, posting a total of 232 for 4.

Falcons wilt under pressure

Chasing a daunting target, Medak Falcons had the worst possible start as Ishan Sharma (0 off 5 balls) fell to Harish Thakur in the first over of the chase. Vikram Naik (10 off 7 balls) and Adithya Varma (12 off 12 balls) also fell to Akhil Kumar and Shubham Sharma respectively as the batting side found themselves reeling at 37/3 in the powerplay.

Falcons never managed to recover from the early setback as they continued to lose wickets at regular intervals. Sai Varun (9 off 13 balls) and Surya (1 off 3 balls) fell in successive overs to Satish Kumar and Narayana Teja, respectively, as the Falcons sunk further into trouble. Ashish Srivastav trapped Ahwinan in the 11th over, as the team stumbled to 63 for 6.

Skipper Ravi Teja managed to muster 37 off 28 balls before he too succumbed to Satwik, triggering a flurry of wickets. Ashish bagged his second wicket as he got the better of Bunny Jagam (3 off 11 balls). The innings unravelled quickly thereafter as Arjun Gorrapalli (3 off 5 balls) was run out and Shubham Sharma cleaned up Kartikeya to complete the rout.

Brief scores: Karimnagar Diamonds 232 for 4 in 20 overs (Rahul Radesh 101, Chandan Sahani 56 not out, Satwik Reddy 35) beat Medak Falcons 99 in 19.1 overs (Ravi Teja 37, Ashish Srivastav 2/13, Shubham Sharma 2/16).

Player of the match: Rahul Radesh