All-rounder (28-ball 54 not out and 2-11) once again played a vital role to help Eagle Thane Strikers (ETS) secure their second win in as many games, beating Bandra Blasters (BB) by 97 runs in the T20 Mumbai League at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
A day earlier, Patil’s unbeaten 47 off 22 balls had helped ETS Triumphs Knights MNE by five wickets in their opening fixture.
On Thursday, chasing a stiff target of 206 in 20 overs, BB were bundled out for 108 in 18.2 overs. BB opener Vikrant Auti (5) began by dispatching left-arm pacer Harsh Tanna for a four off the very first ball.
BB’s early struggles
However, off-spinner Shashank Attarde (3-26) trapped him LBW soon. By the 11th over, BB were struggling at 68-5, having lost opener Suved Parkar (18) and skipper Akash Anand (12).
ETS bowlers, pacer Patil, leg-spinner Aryan Chauhan (2-11) and left-arm spinner Shashikant Kadam (1-17), bowled a disciplined line.
Earlier, after being put in to bat, ETS’s Patil replicated his previous day’s fine show with the bat, smashing three fours and four sixes. He also shared a crucial 56-run fifth-wicket stand with skipper Atharva Ankolekar (19-ball 33), which helped ETS post 205-6 in the allotted 20 overs. ETS lost opener Aaryaraj Nikam (1) in the first over itself, thanks to a direct hit by Parth Ankolekar. Varun Lavande, who represented India in the 2019 U-19 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, provided another solid start, scoring 43 (5×4, 1×6). The right-hander had played a crucial 57-run knock in his team’s five-wicket win over Triumph Knights on Wednesday.
Lavande scores half-ton
Lavande’s 32-ball stay at the crease was ended when left-arm spinner Karsh Kothari (2-44) had him caught at mid-wicket by Dhrumil Matkar. Kadam, who came in as the Impact Substitute in the 19th over, replacing Nikam, needed only six balls to smash an unbeaten 21, including three huge sixes. Left-arm pacer Royston Dias claimed 2-46.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, ARCS Andheri beat Aakash Tigers MWS by 12 runs (via DLS) in a rain-affected match at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
Brief scores
ETS 205-6 in 20 overs (S Patil 54*, V Lavande 43, A Ankolekar 33; K Kothari 2-44, R Dias 2-46) beat BB 108 all out in 18.2 overs (A Usmani 16; S Patil 2-11, A Chauhan 2-11) by 97 runs