Alleppey Ripples secured a facile eight-wicket win over Trivandrum Royals, while Calicut Globstars snapped Kochi Blue Tigers' eight-match unbeaten streak in Friday's KCL action.
Left-arm pacer T.S. Vinil and opener Mohammed Azharuddeen produced standout performances to power Alleppey Ripples to an eight-wicket victory over Trivandrum Royals in the Kerala Cricket League at the Sports Hub Greenfield Stadium on Friday.
Vinil set up the win with a fiery opening spell that included a double-wicket maiden in the PowerPlay. After trapping Vishnu Vinod (7) leg-before and removing Abhishek P. Nair for a duck, Vinil helped reduce the Royals to 26 for four following a run-out of skipper Krishna Prasad. Sijomon Joseph (46) and K. Ajeesh (23) mounted a late recovery with a 39-run seventh-wicket stand to push Trivandrum to 126 for eight in 20 overs. Vinil finished with figures of 3 for 19, while Jalaj Saxena claimed 2 for 22.
In response, Azharuddeen blitzed the Royals attack with a 29-ball 68, hitting eight boundaries and five sixes. After being dropped on eight by Sijomon Joseph at covers off Vinod Kumar, Azharuddeen capitalized on the reprieve to seal the contest early. Following his departure, skipper Sachin Baby (26 not out) and K.A. Arun (24 not out) took Ripples to 127 for two in 12.5 overs, wrapping up the win with 43 balls to spare.
In the second match of the day, Calicut Globstars earned a thrilling three-run win over Kochi Blue Tigers, ending the holder's eight-match unbeaten streak across two seasons. Globstars recovered from 43 for four in the eighth over to post 148 for five, bolstered by Salman Nizar (47 not out) and Krishna Devan (40 not out), who shared an unbroken 54-run sixth-wicket partnership off 27 balls. Basil Thampi took 3 for 29 for Kochi.
Chasing 149 for victory, Kochi Blue Tigers were bowled out for 145 in the 19th over despite 32 runs from Sachin Suresh. Athif Bin Ashraf (2/22), M.U. Harikrishnan (2/22), and Ibnul Afthab (2/38) picked up two wickets apiece to secure the narrow win for Calicut.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Cricket. Photo courtesy The Hindu Cricket.