ENT vs PB Eliminator 1, MPL 2023

01:50 am IST | Sourya: What a classic that was. In a game that went down right to the wire, the Puneri Bappa have defeated the Eagle Nashik Titans by three wickets with one ball to spare. Fortunes swung this way and that wildly as PB pursued ENT’s 131/7 of 18 overs in a rain-curtailed game in tricky conditions with the ball turning as well as swinging. They survived a few chances with Pawan Shah (25 off 20) riding his luck to get them off to a great start in the powerplay.

But things begun going downhill after he departed with the spinners pulling things back for ENT. Rehan Khan, the lanky pacer, begun the comeback and claimed figures of 3/20. Left-arm spinner Akshay Waikar also picked up two wickets. At one point, PB were 95/5, seemingly struggling after Damle and Kshirsagar (25) had left following a nice partnership. But cometh the hour cometh the man.  Advay Shidaye blazed his way to 27 not out off 13, hitting some lovely cuts as well as the big slogs to take them home and also win the man-of-the-match award. He hit a crucial six in the last over and then ran through for the single with the field in and two balls left. Some dropped chances will haunt the ENT players who had a great run in the tournament otherwise.

Earlier Rohan Damle won the toss and put the opposition into bat and his bowlers repaid his faith, with Sachin Bhosale swinging it with class and Sohan Jamale turning it square with his left-arm spin. They got two vital wickets each, with the latter picking up Rahul Tripathi in a sharp return catch in what was a turning point of the game. Tripathi had stroked his way to 60 and was looking set to take them past 150.

Thereafter, in a rollercoaster of a chase, PB prevailed and they will be taking the field today itself in the second qualifier of the MPL against the Kolhapur Tuskers in what promises to be another humdinger.