Tanay helps RR Risers ease past Nalgonda Knights with a five-wicket victory

With his team reeling at 60 for four, captain Tanay Thyagarajan came to the fore to turn the fortunes around as Ranga Reddy Risers pulled off a remarkable five-wicket victory over Nalgonda Knights in the HCA’s TG20 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.

After restricting the Knights to 189 for 8 despite a fighting unbeaten 40 from Harshwardhan Singh and 48 from Divesh Singh, the Risers recovered from 60 for 4 to reach 190 for 5 in just 16.3 overs, thanks to a match-defining partnership between Thyagarajan and Aditya Javvaji before Nitin Yadav’s late fireworks sealed the win with 21 balls to spare.

Ranga Reddy Risers got off to the ideal start as B Punnaiah dismissed Gaurav Reddy for a duck in the first over of the match. The Knights struggled to find boundaries early on, though Nitish Reddy briefly counterattacked with two sixes off Punnaiah. Thyagarajan then struck in the fourth over to remove Pranav Suryadevara (7 off 10), making it 22 for 2.

Nitish scored a brisk 20 off 14 balls before Aryan Cariappa bowled him at the end of the fifth over, leaving the Knights delicately placed at 34 at 3.

Skipper Rahul Buddhi (30 off 19) provided the much-needed momentum, including a 19-run over off Arun Kumar, and threatened to steal the game away but Nitin Yadav broke the stand in the 10th over to send him back to the dugout.

Divesh Singh then took charge with some impressive strokeplay, adding 33 runs with Varun Goud (26 off 21) before Cariappa struck again to dismiss the latter and keep the pressure on.

T Harshwardhan Singh essays a shot. Pics: Vipin Pawar / CREIMAS

With 122 for 5 on the board after 14 overs, Divesh raised the tempo. However, Punnaiah delivered a crucial double blow, removing Arfaz Ahmed (7 off 3) and Aniketh Reddy off successive deliveries to leave the Knights reeling.

Divesh continued to attack while keeping the scoreboard moving, but Cariappa claimed his third wicket of the innings to dismiss him for 48 off 27 balls, just short of a well-deserved half-century.

At 150 for 8, the Knights were in deep trouble, but district player Harshwardhan Singh produced a superb late cameo. His unbeaten 40 off just 20 balls, featuring five fours and a six, lifted the Knights to a competitive 189 for 8.

Tanay and Aditya to Risers’ rescue

In response, Avanish Rao (22 off 6) got the chase off to a flying start, smashing a flurry of sixes and taking 22 runs off Rakshann Readdi. However, his stay was short-lived as Nishanth Saranu dismissed him in the second over.

Things soon got worse for the Risers as Aaron George (7 off 7) holed out to Nitish off Aniketh Reddy. Alankrith Rapole (11 off 9) and Nanavath Rakesh (5 off 8) also fell in quick succession, leaving the Risers struggling at 60 for 4 after seven overs.

With the chase in danger of derailing, Tanay and Aditya Javvaji (41 off 32) steadied the innings brilliantly. The pair added 75 runs, mixing timely boundaries with smart strike rotation to keep the required rate in check.

Nitin Sai Yadav and Tanay Thyagarajan 

Tanay brought up a half-century off just 23 balls, but the partnership was eventually broken when Varun Goud dismissed Javvaji, taking a return catch off his own bowling.

Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished as Nitin Yadav walked in and blasted an unbeaten 26 off just nine deliveries. Combined with Tanay’s match-winning and unbeaten 71 off 30 balls, featuring seven fours and five sixes, the Risers raced to victory with 21 balls to spare.

Brief scores: Nalgonda Knights 189/8 in 20 overs (Divesh Singh 48, Harshwardhan Singh 40 not out, Rahul Buddi 30, A Varun Goud 26, P Nitish Reddy 20; B Punnaiah 3/42, A Cariappa 2/36, N Yadav 2/31) lost to Ranga Reddy Risers 190/5 in 16.3 overs (Tanay Thyagarajan 71 not out, Aditya Javvaji 41, Nitin Yadav 26 not out, A Avanish Rao 22; Aniketh Reddy 2/29, A Varun Goud 2/18).

Player of the match: Tanay Thyagarajan