Indore, June 8 (IANS) Akshat Raghuwanshi’s explosive knock went in vain as Bhopal Leopards held their nerve in a thrilling run chase to register a three-wicket win over Rewa Jaguars in the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL) T20 Scindia Cup 2026 at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday.
Batting first after winning the toss, Rewa Jaguars rode on a sensational innings from Raghuwanshi to post a challenging 203/8 in their 20 overs.
The right-hander took control from the outset and attacked the Bhopal bowlers all around the ground. Raghuwanshi hammered 85 runs off just 32 deliveries, striking nine sixes and six fours in a breathtaking display of power-hitting. His innings gave Rewa a flying start and put the opposition under pressure early in the contest.
Although Rewa lost a few wickets in the middle overs, Prithviraj Singh Tomar played a steady knock of 35 off 32 balls to provide support. Sagar Solanki then added valuable late runs with a brisk 48 off 28 deliveries, helping the Jaguars cross the 200-run mark.
For Bhopal Leopards, Himanshu Shinde stood out with the ball, returning figures of 2/21 from his four overs and helping prevent the total from becoming even bigger.
In reply, Bhopal Leopards began confidently through openers Tanishq Yadav and Rahul Chandrol, who added 60 runs for the first wicket. Tanishq scored 29 off 17 balls before being dismissed, while Suraj Yadav’s stay at the crease was brief as he managed only six runs.
Chandrol kept the scoreboard moving with a fluent 44 off 21 deliveries and shared a useful partnership with captain Aniket Verma. Verma made an immediate impact with a quickfire 25 off just 10 balls before being dismissed by Sagar Solanki.
The chase appeared to be slipping away when Chandrol departed soon after and Kunal Rai was dismissed for just one run, leaving the Leopards in trouble at 109/5.
However, Himanshu Shinde and Pawan Nirwani launched a spirited recovery. The duo added crucial runs and kept Bhopal in the contest as the required run rate continued to climb.
Shinde played a valuable knock of 37 off 24 balls before being dismissed by Ashwin Das at a crucial stage. Nirwani also contributed significantly with 29 off 22 deliveries, but his wicket left the Leopards needing 22 runs from the final two overs.
With the pressure mounting, Kamal Tripathi stepped up and produced the decisive blows in the penultimate over, finding the boundary at key moments to bring the equation down to just five runs in the final over.
The last over began with a dot ball, increasing the tension inside the stadium. But Kamal quickly ended the contest in dramatic fashion, smashing a six off the second delivery of the over to seal a memorable three-wicket victory for Bhopal Leopards and spoil what had been a remarkable innings from Raghuwanshi.
–IANS
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