Karnataka Bulldozers win the Thriller to exit Kerala Strikers

The match between Karnataka Bulldozers and Telugu Warriors was one of the nail bitter. The match started with Bulldozers captain Sudeep winning the toss and sending the opponents to field first. Captain himself opened the innings with Pradeep that made the audience enjoy. But, it was slow start with first five overs had only 36 runs on board.  The breezy hitting started when Dhruv Sharma joined pradeep after the fall of first wicket. Scores were coming in a hurry for the Karnataka team with the team score reaching 209 runs from the allotted 20 overs. Druv Sharma scored 74 runs off just 38 balls partnered with Pradeep who made 82 runs off 56 deliveries. The other scorer for the team was extras that reached 23. Boundaries were flying with no stoppage from the bowling side. This was crucial match for both the sides as the winning team will enter the semi finals of the tournament. It was exceptional for the Telugu team as they needed only 174 runs to enter the semi-finals. This was a booster for the Karnataka bowlers who had 210 runs to defend.

But, the plans of Telugu Warriors were different with Sachin Joshi and Babu opening the innings for the Warriors. They gave a rocking start for the Warriors with 36 runs in first four overs. This continued with the other batsmen who came to bat after the first wicket of Sachin. It continued with the arrival of Ashwyn who just changed the game his team. He scored a stunning 74 runs from 30 balls to help the team reach 200 runs and enter to the mark of victory. The last over needed just 11 runs to win with J Karthik bowling the over. The first ball was a dought ball and the tension prevailed in every one playing the game and even watching it. The second ball for a single that made 10 runs off 4 balls. The third ball went for 2 runs from the bat of Ashwyn that made 8 off 3 balls. The next ball changed the game in favor of the Bulldozers as the big man Ashwyn was run out. He was out after making 74 off just 30 balls. This gave the team entry to the semi-finals as the required score was 7 off just 1 ball. This could be possible only if J Karthik makes a mistake of bowling a no ball or wide. There were two results till. If that last ball was a six then Kerala strikers would have entered with one extra point for the Strikers and if the batsman could not score a six then it is bulldozers without any chance. Finally, it was Bulldozers entering the semi-finals defeating the Warriors by 5 runs. This victory made Kerala Strikers who played well in the tournament are out of the tournament.

Scorecard:

Karnataka Bulldozers: 209/ 2 

Pradeep - 82 (56) 

D Sharma - 74(38)

Telugu Warriors : 204/5

Ashwyn - 74(30)

Babu - 49(35)

Karnatak Bulldozers win by 5 runs to enter the semi-finals.

Semi-Finals lineup:

13th February-

2:00 p.m Karnataka Bulldozers Vs Bojpuri Dabbangs

7:00 p.m Telugu Warriors Vs Bengal Tigers