Hubli Tigers squeeze through to KPL eliminator

SL Akshay's thrifty spell of 4-1-12-1 saw Hubli Tigers win a close encounter

Mysuru, Sept 16: In a battle of nerves, Hubli Tigers stared down Bellary Tuskers to squeeze into the eliminator of the Karbonn Smart KPL 2015 by a slender three-run victory here at the SDNR Wadiyar Ground on Wednesday.

Fortunes fluctuated and in the low scoring affair, the experience of the Bellary Tuskers was found short as Hubli Tigers maintained a calm around them, bowling with purpose and raised the level of their fielding when it mattered most to effect two run outs that clinched the issue in their favour.

Chasing the Tigers’ 110, Bellary began on the wrong foot losing their top three for just 15 on the board. But the experienced Amit Verma (11) and Devraj Patil (27, 40b, 3 x 4) put their heads down and painstakingly took the team to 50 through their 35-run association for the fourth wicket.

Patil was involved in another partnership worth 38 runs for the fifth wicket with Aniruddha Joshi (33, 23b, 2 x 4, 1 x 6) and was steadily leading the team towards the target of a Nelson.

But frayed nerves of the experienced players succumbed to the sprightly fielding of the Tigers as Patil and SP Manjunath fell to excellent work in the field. Those runs outs put the skids on the Tuskers progress.

SL Akshay bowling the last over with the opposition needing 10 aimed at the block hole and made stroke making difficult. In desperate need of a boundary, Joshi tried all he could but in vain.

Man on Match SL Akshay said, “I was confident of bowling in the depth. The wicket was tough to bat on and we knew a few early wickets would get us back in the game.”

Earlier, Hubli were left to rue their decision to bat as they slid to be 110 all out.

That was despite a steady 41-run partnership for the second wicket between KB Pawan (24) and skipper Kunal Kapoor (26). But once the pair was separated, wickets fell at regular intervals and the Tuskers spinners were on top claiming five of the nine wickets that fell.

Chethan John William once again chipped in with a useful 20 as he began losing partners at the other end and was the ninth man out.

The Tigers will take on the winners of the contest between Mangalore United and Namma Shivamogga in the first Eliminator on Friday afternoon.