Published: July 9, 2026 at 7:27 pm
Tanmay Agarwal stuck his second consecutive ton and the third of the tournament as he led Karimnagar Diamonds to a 75-run victory against Ranga Reddy Risers in Hyderabad Cricket Association’s TG20 Eliminator at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.
The Diamonds will now face the losers of Qualifier 1 between Hyderabad E-Champions and Khammam Aces in Qualifier 2 on Friday.
Playoff race reaches its climax as HCA’s TG20 heads into blockbuster knockout stage
Tanmay, who lay low during the early part of the tournament, struck a purple patch at the business end of the tournament. The southpaw led from the front with a sensational 137 off 61 balls, including eleven fours and 10 sixes. The century also propels him to the top of the Orange Cap standings with 465 runs to his name.
Hrishikesh Simha also played his part with a half-century (50 off 28 balls with five fours and two sixes) and the duo helped their side post 238 for 7. In response, half-centuries from Tanay Thyagarajann and Nitin Sai Yadav went in vain as Ashish Srivastav’s five-wicket haul, the second of the tournament after Salman Khan’s five-wicket haul earlier, secured a 75-run win for Diamonds.
Hrishikesh Simha of Karimnagar Diamonds plays a shot during the Eliminator of the TG20 against Ranga Reddy Risers at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday. Pics: Vipin Pawar / CREIMAS
Diamonds were off to a brilliant start courtesy their captain, who laid the platform for his team by taking the attack to the bowlers. He was finding boundaries with regularity, while Satwik Reddy (15 off 9 balls with two fours) played second fiddle to rotate strike, as the two piled on 29 runs in three overs. After a sedate beginning, Satwik was looking to up the ante with consecutive boundaries before he holed out to Arun Kumar in the fourth over.
Tanmay at his attacking best
Tanmay resumed the onslaught by smashing 27 runs in the sixth over, powering Diamonds to 75 for 1 in the powerplay. He also amassed his half-century in 24 balls, ensuring that his side remained on course to post a strong total on the board.
The Diamonds skipper then combined with Hrishikesh Simha for a stellar 139-run stand of 69 balls, the second-highest partnership for the second wicket in the tournament. After knocking the ball around for a couple overs, Simha and Tanmay switched gears effortlessly. The latter scored his half-century in 27 balls, as the pair scored 76 runs in seven overs.
Tanmay continued his scintillating form in the tournament to register back-to-back tons, and his third in the tournament, to carry the momentum forward for Diamonds. He reached the milestone in 48 balls, as he put the Risers’ bowlers under the pump.
Ashish Srivastav of Karimnagar Diamonds bowls bagged five wickets to deccimate the Ranga Reddy Risers’ challenge
Tanay Thyagarajann broke the partnership in the 16th over, pegging things back for his side. Tanmay’s 61-ball 137-run blitzkrieg also came to an end soon after, with Nitin Sai Yadav providing the breakthrough. That triggered a collapse for Diamonds’ as they lost five wickets for 28 runs at the backend of the innings, with Risers restricting them to 238 for 7.
Ashish strikes with a vengeance
Risers began the run chase with a new opening pair as skipper Tanay took the crease alongside Aaron George (12 off 5 balls with three fours). The latter scored three consecutive boundaries off Rathlavath Dinesh before succumbing on the final ball of the first over. The batting side were in a spot of bother as Shubham Sharma got the better of Alankrith Rapole (2 off 3 balls) to have the Risers reeling at 29 for 2.
Aditya Javvaji (17 off 9 balls with a four and two sixes) and Tanay then delivered the counterpunch by scoring 23 runs in the last over of the powerplay as the two stitched together a 43-run stand in 20 balls. With the Risers innings seemingly back on track at 72 for 2, Diamonds struck back courtesy Ashish Srivastav’s twin strikes in the seventh over to put their opponents further into trouble at 75 for 5.
Ashish outfoxed Aditya and Gnana Prakash Reddy (1 off 2 balls) with wicketkeeper Rahul Radesh displaying exquisite glovework behind the stumps to execute stumpings. Narayana Teja then got the better of Venkat Karthik to add to Risers’ misery.
Tanay and Nitin hold the fort briefly
With half their side back in the dugout, Tanay and Nitin Sai Yadav held the innings together in the middle overs. The two senior statesmen added 48 runs in 24 deliveries, with the former notching his half-century in 26 balls. His knock included four fours and five sixes as he kept his side in the contest.
Tanay Thyagarajan, captain of Ranga Reddy Risers, made 63 but his effort went in vain
Shubham Sharma returned to dent Risers’ hopes, bringing an end to Tanay’s electric 33-ball 63 (4×4, 5×6) in the 12th over. Apart from Nitin scoring 50 in 30 balls with six fours and two sixes, no other Risers’ batter had a notable impact in the lower order as they were bundled out for 163.
Brief scores: Karimnagar Diamonds 238 for 7 in 20 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 137, Hrishikesh Simha 50; Aryan Cariappa 2/52) beat Ranga Reddy Risers 163 in 16.3 overs (Tanay Thyagarajann 63, Nitin Sai Yadav 50; Ashish Srivastav 5/16, Shubham Sharma 2/14).
Player of the match: Tanmay Agarwal
