Hyderabad, July 10 (IANS) Hyderabad E-Champions returned to winning ways, delivering a clinical performance to register a commanding 8-wicket win over EIPL & eleve Karimnagar Diamonds in Qualifier 2 of the Hyderabad Cricket Association's TG20 Season 1 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday.

Hyderabad E-Champions will face Anvita Khammam Aces in the grand finale of the TG20 on Sunday. Having lost to the Aces in Qualifier 1, E-Champions will be motivated to get their revenge in the summit clash.

Skipper Abhirath Reddy led the way with another glorious knock, scoring 82 off 49 balls, including seven fours and five sixes to become the first batter to score 500 runs in the season. In the first innings, E-Champions bowlers were precise in executing their plans with Purple Cap holder Ajay Dev Goud (2/24), Shanmukha Ashwin (2/24), and Pranav Varma (2/32) each bagging a brace to restrict Diamonds to a modest 157/7 in 20 overs.

Opting to bat first in this must-win contest, Diamonds had a sedate start to their innings with Satwik Reddy and Tanmay Agarwal (10 off 10) being watchful in their approach. They scored 20 in the first three overs before Shanmukha Ashwin dealt a significant blow as he bagged the prized scalp of Tanmay.

Hrishikesh Simha and Satwik added some impetus to the innings, smashing three sixes against Yashveer Goud to score 21 runs in the final over of the powerplay to propel their side to 50/1. The pair rotated strike actively while also finding the occasional boundary to add 40 runs in 23 balls. Akhil Rathod broke the partnership for E-Champions, dismissing Satwik for 28 off 21 balls.

Entering a tricky situation at No.4, Rahul Radesh (28 off 15) got into the act immediately, finding boundaries with regularity to ensure that the scoring rate doesn’t drop significantly for Diamonds. He added 40 off 26 balls alongside Simha, who was given a lifeline after being dropped on 29 by Abhirath Reddy in the tenth over.

In an attempt to up the ante, Rahul’s cameo came to an abrupt end as he was bowled by Shanmukha in the 12th over. E-Champions began to tighten the screws thereafter, conceding only 12 runs in 14 balls. Pranav Varma then delivered twin strikes in the 15th over, ending Simha’s resistance after a 31-ball 38 and also cleaned up Chandan Sahani (7 off 10) to have the Diamonds reeling at 119/5.

E-Champions’ bowlers were exceptional in their execution in the latter half of the innings, ensuring no boundaries were conceded in 48 deliveries. Shubham Sharma finally broke the shackles for his side, smacking consecutive sixes against Dev Mehta in the penultimate over to help them get past 150.

Purple Cap holder Ajay Dev Goud closed out the innings efficiently for E-Champions, only allowing seven runs of the final over and bagging two wickets to restrict Diamonds to 157/7.

In response, Abhirath and Sai Vikas Reddy ensured a steady start for the E-Champions, getting their eye in at 9/0 after two overs. They scored 17 runs off Rathlavath Dinesh in the following over and never looked back. The pair added 56 runs in the Power-play as they continued to put the Diamonds bowlers under pressure.

They went about their business rather clinically from thereon, scoring 58 runs in the next five overs to wipe away a chunk of the target. Abhirath put on a show, displaying why he’s regarded as one of the best batters in the tournament. He amassed his half-century in 32 balls, regaining the Orange Cap in the process.

Sai Vikas also switched gears effortlessly after playing second fiddle for most of the chase as the two openers posted the second-highest opening stand of the tournament (124 runs). Sai Vikas missed out on his half-century as Shubham ended his 31-ball 45-run knock. Abhirath was also dismissed by Akhil Kumar in the 15th over.

However, the damage had already been done. Vaishav Reddy (25 off 12) and Yashveer Goud (4 off 1) sealed the deal for E-Champions with 27 balls to spare.

Brief scores:

Karimnagar Diamonds 157/7 in 20 overs (Hrishikesh Simha 38, Shubham Sharma 31, Shanmukha Ashwin 2/22, Ajay Dev Goud 2/24) lost to Hyderabad E-Champions 160/2 in 16.3 overs (Abhirath Reddy 82, Sai Vikas Reddy 45, Akhil Kumar 1/23, 1/41) by 8 wickets.

--IANS

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