T20 Mumbai League: Ankur's stunning four-wicket haul powers Tigers to thrilling win over 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 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.
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.
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 seven runs
— IANS
Reader Comments
Honestly, I'm getting tired of seeing these big names like Dube and Rahane playing in these local leagues. What about giving chances to young talent? Ankur Singh, Ayush Jethwa, Prasad Pawar - these are the guys who deserve the spotlight. The T20 Mumbai League should focus more on developing local players rather than being a retirement home for IPL stars. Just my two paise.
That collapse in the last 3 overs was painful to watch as an Andheri fan! 😅 But credit where it's due - Ankur Singh kept his cool and bowled perfect yorkers. Dube's dismissal was the turning point, he tried to hit one too many sixes. And Ajit Yadav's 55 was the backbone of Tigers' innings. These local tournaments are gold mines for talent, just look at how many Mumbai players come through these leagues. Hope to see more such thrillers! 🏏
Nice to see women's cricket getting more coverage these days but I wish the men's local leagues also got some media attention. This is proper Mumbai cricket - raw, exciting, and full of passion. The atmosphere at Wankhede must have been electric. Shubman Gill who? Give me more local heroes like Ankur Singh and Prasad Pawar any day!
I was at the stadium today! The crowd went absolutely bonkers when Dube hit those sixes, but the silence when he got out was deafening. Andheri were 140/4 with 4 overs to go, how do you lose from there? Sharma ji ka beta would have finished it. But seriously, great advertisement for Mumbai cricket. Can't wait for the match between Thane Strikers and North Mumbai Panthers later!
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