Ankur's stunning 4-wicket haul powers Tigers to thrilling win over Arcs Andheri
Mumbai, June 7
Shivam Dube-led ARCS Andheri let a winning position slip away as Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs staged a sensational late comeback to clinch a seven-run victory in the Nuvama Private T20 Mumbai League 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing 172, Andheri were cruising for large parts of the innings before a dramatic collapse in the final four overs saw Ankur Singh's brilliant spell of 4/39 turn the match on its head. Andheri endured an early setback with Divyaansh Sksena (10) and Musheer Khan (1) departing cheaply, leaving the side reeling at 18/2, according to a release.
Impact Player Ayush Jethwa and the in-form Prasad Pawar rebuilt the innings with a crucial 58-run partnership for the third wicket after the early setbacks. While Jethwa contributed a fluent 36, Pawar once again underlined his consistency, bringing up his third half-century of the season with a composed 54 off 39 deliveries that included three fours and two sixes.
The Tigers, however, fought back through Naman Pushpak, who broke the stand by removing Jethwa, before Shams Mulani dismissed Pragnesh Kanpillewar (15) to apply further pressure. Andheri regained control when skipper Dube launched a counterattack, hammering 25 off just 13 balls with three towering sixes to leave his side firmly in command of the chase.
However, Dube's dismissal proved to be the turning point. Ankur struck repeatedly at the death as Andheri lost five wickets in the final three overs, collapsing from a winning position and handing the Tigers a dramatic victory.
Earlier, Aakash Tigers MWS recovered from an early setback through a valuable 44-run partnership between Jay Gokul Bista and Varun Lavande for the second wicket. Bista chipped in with 35. Ajit Yadav, later, anchored the innings with a fluent 55, striking five fours and three sixes. The Tigers looked set for a bigger total at one stage, but regular wickets in the latter half of the innings prevented them from capitalising on the platform, eventually finishing on 171/6.
For Andheri, Ajay Mishra was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/18, while Dube chipped in with 1/31.
In the second affair of the day, later in the evening, Shardul Thakur's Eagle Thane Strikers will be up against table-toppers North Mumbai Panthers, led by Ajinkya Rahane, at the same venue.
All the matches will be live on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.
Brief Scores: Aakash Tigers MWS 171/6 in 20 overs (Ajit Yadav 55, Jay Bista 35; Ajay Mishra 2/18) beat ARCS Andheri 164 all out in 20 overs (Prasad Pawar 54, Ayush Jethwa 36; Ankur Singh 4/39) by 7 runs.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Love watching local Mumbai cricket on Star Sports! These T20 leagues are churning out future stars. Ankur's 4/39 in a chase like that—just brilliant. And Ajit Yadav anchoring the innings with 55...proper all-round performance. Wankhede crowd must have gone wild in the last few overs! 🙌
Fair play to the Tigers—that's how you finish a game. But ARCS Andheri need to work on death bowling and finishing under pressure. 18/2 then rebuilding to 58 partnership, then collapse again? Too many ups and downs. Ankur Singh was the difference—his tight lines under pressure were outstanding.
Shivam Dube's 25 off 13 was pure entertainment! 😍 But yaar, why can't our domestic players convert these platforms into bigger innings? Prasad Pawar scoring third fifty of the season is consistent, but 54 off 39 is fine, not match-winning. Ankur bowled like a magician in the death overs. JioHotstar pe dekhne mein maza aaya!
Honest opinion: ARCS Andheri's batting order is too fragile. After early wickets at 18/2, Jethwa and Pawar did well, but once Dube got out, the middle order folded like a pack of cards. This happens often in T20 leagues—teams rely too much on one or two players. Ankur Singh's 4-fer was top class though. Salute! 🇮🇳
This is why I love Mumbai's T20
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