Sporting XI made a competitive score of 405 for eight against Jai Hanuman on the first day of the HCA A Division (2-day) league Championship final at the Dr N Kondal Rao Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Electing to bat after skipper Shaikh Sohail won the toss, Sporting XI made a poor start with opener Anumula Vignesh Reddy (0) being bowled by Akhil Kumar S with just six on the board.
Things went worse when Anvith Reddy (13) was bowled by Shanmukha Ashwin with Sporting XI struggling at 36 for two.
However, opener Yash Satwalekar and A Varun Goud came to Sporting XI’s rescue with a century partnership. The duo took the fight to the enemy camp as they piled on the runs. They added 142 off 200 balls for the third wicket with Varun Goud scoring 85 and Yash contributing to the total.
When the going was good for Sporting XI, Jai Hanuman’s Shaunak Kulkarni struck by getting rid of Varun Goud, caught by Sai Purnanand Rao, for 85 which came off 105 balls with eight fours.
A run later Yash too fell to Shaunak Kulkarni. He was snapped up by Ananth Prateek Reddy but not before the opener had got 73 off 129 with six fours.
Skipper Sohail and Annam Takshith Rao then combined forces to press forward. They added 92 for the fifth wicket with Takshith Rao being the dominant partner. He contributed a quickfire 53-ball 64, while Sohail got 26. Takshith Rao was caught and bowled by Shaunak Kulkarni. His 64 contained seven fours and three sixes.
Sohail then forged another good partnership with B Rathan Teja as they pressed onto the 300-run mark. They added 70 for the sixth wicket with Sohail taking charge of the proceedings. He contributed 41 and Teja got 27 before Sohail was run out by M Abhirath Reddy for 68, which came off 115 balls with three fours.
Teja and P Kishore Kumar (22) added a 35-ball 43 for the eighth wicket as Sporting XI reached 405 for eight in 90 overs. Teja remained unbeaten on 60 off 70 balls with a boundary.
Shaunak Kulkarni was the most successful bowler for Jai Hanuman as he finished with figures of four for 88.
Brief scores: Sporting XI 405/8 in 90 overs (Yash Satwalekar 73, A Varun Goud 85, Shaik Sohail 68, A Takshith Rao 64, B Rathan Teja 50no, Shaunak Kulkarni 4/88) vs Jai Hanuman.
Sportive XI ease past Mahmood to reach B Div final
In the B Division (2-day) semifinals, Sportive scored a four-wicket win over Mahmood to reach the final with a day to spare.
In a low-scoring game, Mahmood, who batted first, were bowled out for a lowly 105 with M Varun Tej taking three for 20. In reply, Sportive made 106 for six to book their place in the final.
In the other semifinal, Rohit XI reached 245 for eight against Mahadev.
Batting first, Rohit XI were unable to break free from the shackles imposed by the Mahadev bowlers but they still managed to put up a decent score on the board. Minumula Karthik topscored with 87 while Gone Vivek Gagan made 47 and A Sai Chandra scored an unbeaten 44.
Pranav Manjunath Nayak took three for 48 for Mahadev, who will have to bat well to win the game.
Brief scores: Mahmood 105 in 46.2 overs (M Varun Tej 3/20) lost to Sportive 106/6 in 30.2 overs (N Nitesh Naik 3/23).
Rohit XI 245/8 in 90 overs (Gone Vivek Gagan 47, Minumula Karthik 87, A Sai Chandra 44no, Pranav Manjunath Nayak 3/48) vs Mahadev.
