Khammam Aces Win Thriller in TG20 Season 1 Opener

TG20 Season 1: Jaiswal, Himateja and Milind star as Khammam Aces clinch last-over thriller

Hyderabad, June 27

Half-centuries from Mickil Jaiswal and K Himateja powered the Aces to 213/6, before skipper CV Milind produced a match-winning spell of 4/21, helping the Aces withstand a record-breaking assault from Satwik Reddy to secure a memorable win.

The Diamonds made the perfect start, striking twice in consecutive overs to remove openers Wafi Kachchhi (0 off 2) and Mayank Gupta (2 off 3), leaving the Aces reeling early.

With the innings in trouble, K Himateja (56 off 33) launched a spirited counterattack, taking the attack to the bowlers from the outset. He raced to a well-crafted half-century in just 24 balls, bringing up the milestone with a towering six, and stitched together a game-changing 99-run partnership off just 48 balls with G Sai Krishna Reddy.

Sai Krishna survived a major scare on 43 when Ashish Srivastav held onto a return catch, only for it to be ruled a no-ball. The reprieve proved short-lived, however, as Srivastav trapped him LBW just two deliveries later to break the threatening stand.

The breakthrough slowed the Aces' momentum. Himateja struggled to maintain the scoring rate before holing out to Hrishikesh Simha off Harish Thakur, who claimed his second wicket of the innings. Prateek Reddy (19 off 10) departed soon after, further denting the Aces.

With wickets falling around him, Mickil Jaiswal and CV Milind (16 off 13) steadied the innings. Milind played the supporting role before falling to Harish Thakur, but Jaiswal immediately shifted the momentum back with a towering six.

Jaiswal then took complete control, bringing up his second consecutive half-century in just 30 balls. His unbeaten 64 off 34 deliveries, featuring four and six sixes, powered the Aces to a formidable 213.

In reply, the Diamonds endured a disastrous start, losing skipper Tanmay Agarwal (0 off 1) and Hrishikesh Simha (0 off 3) inside the opening over to CV Milind. Rahul Radesh (4 off 5) briefly counterattacked but was also dismissed by Milind in the third over, reducing the Diamonds to 28/3.

With the chase in trouble, Satwik Reddy produced a sensational counterattack. He took on Vidyananda Reddy and Sahendra Mallu with fearless strokeplay, including a remarkable fifth over that yielded 28 runs with four successive sixes. Satwik brought up his half-century in just 16 balls - the fastest in the history of the Sreenidhi University TG20.

The Aces, however, hit back with timely wickets. Wafi dismissed Harish Thakur before Ved Reddy removed the dangerous Satwik Reddy, who fell for a scintillating 63 off 27 balls, leaving the Diamonds at 97/5.

Chandan Sahani then sparked another revival, smashing five sixes across two overs. Alongside Shubham Sharma, he lifted the Diamonds to 130/5 and briefly swung the momentum back in their favour.

The Aces responded immediately as Sahendra Mallu dismissed Chandan (38 off 17), while CV Milind accounted for Narayana Teja (13 off 11) after Ved completed a stunning catch. Shubham continued to fight alongside Ashish Srivastav, but regular wickets kept the asking rate out of reach.

Needing 17 off the final over, Shubham kept the chase alive with consecutive boundaries off the first two deliveries. However, Mahesh Vipparla held his nerve brilliantly, conceding just four runs from the remaining four balls, which sealed a thrilling eight-run victory.

Brief scores:

Anvita Khammam Aces 214/5 in 20 overs (Mickil Jaiswal 64*, K Himateja 56, G Sai Krishna Reddy 43, Harish Thakur 3/40, Rathlavath Dinesh 1/40) beat EIPL & eleve Karimnagar Diamonds 205/9 in 20 overs (Satwik Reddy 63, Shubham Sharma 53*, Chandan Sahani 38, CV Milind 4/21, Sahendra Mallu 2/49) by eight runs.

— IANS