Iyer, Shukla Lead Indore Pink Panthers to First MP League Win

Venkatesh Iyer, Shivam Shukla power Indore Pink Panthers to first win in Madhya Pradesh League

Indore, June 9

After posting a massive 229/5, Pink Panthers restricted the Malwa Stallions at 198/9 to secure a 31-run win.

The Panthers suffered an early setback when opener Siddharth Patidar was dismissed for just 2 off 10 balls. However, wicketkeeper-batter Atharv Joshi and Karan Tahliyani steadied the innings with a brisk 44-run partnership. Joshi played an aggressive knock of 45 off just 20 deliveries before departing, while Tahliyani continued to anchor the innings and went on to score a well-made half-century.

A couple of useful partnerships kept the scoreboard ticking, but the Panthers found themselves at 131/4 in the 15th over. It was then that captain Venkatesh Iyer joined forces with Saransh Surana, and the duo completely changed the complexion of the innings.

The pair launched a relentless assault on the bowlers, striking boundaries at will and dominating the final overs with some clean and powerful hitting. Their explosive partnership pushed the Stallions onto the back foot and helped the Panthers finish with a daunting total.

Iyer smashed a blistering 54 off just 22 balls, an innings studded with six sixes and a boundary, while Surana remained unbeaten on 50 off only 17 deliveries, hammering five sixes and three fours.

For Malwa Stallions, captain Ashutosh Sharma was the most economical bowler, finishing with figures of 1-32 from his four overs.

In reply, Indore Pink Panthers' bowlers and especially Shivam Shukla responded brilliantly. Roshan Kewat provided the early breakthrough by dismissing Aryan Deshmukh for 10 off 5 balls.

Ansh Yadav and Sachin Vishwakarma then tried to revive the chase with a 55-run partnership. Ansh scored a quick 31 off 19 deliveries, while Vishwakarma contributed a fighting 47 off 32 balls.

However, the Panthers struck back strongly and ripped through the Stallions' middle order, leaving them reeling at 144/7 and firmly on the back foot.

Parth Sahani provided some late entertainment with a fighting knock, playing a few delightful strokes and keeping the crowd engaged as he struck 54 off 28. However, the required run-rate had climbed too high by then, leaving Malwa Stallions with too much to do in the closing stages. Meanwhile, Shivam Shukla starred with the ball for Indore Pink Panthers, claiming a brilliant five-wicket haul to seal a dominant victory for his side.

Reflecting on the win, Panther skipper Iyer said, "It's great to get our first win of the tournament and collect those two important points. But I feel we left at least 20 more runs out there with the bat. We probably had the opportunity to win by a much bigger margin."

"Fielding is an area we need to improve as well. Some catches were difficult because the ball was swirling under the lights, but I don't want to make excuses. I dropped a straightforward chance myself, so I take responsibility for that," he further added.

Iyer also talked about his own batting and added, "As for my batting, I felt I could have started better. Once I got set, I knew which areas of the ground I wanted to target and tried to stick to my plans. It was a well-planned innings and I'm happy that I could contribute to the team's victory. Most importantly, it was nice to see smiles on the faces of the players and support staff after our first win."

The Panthers will now take on Rewa Jaguars in their next fixture at Daly College on Wednesday.

— IANS