ROYAL Cricket Association (RCA) played like true champions as they thrashed Yavatmal to clinch the Vidarbha Cricket Association organised inaugural Guzder League B Division T20 title at Central Railways ground in Ajni on Wednesday. With this win, RCA got promoted to Guzder A Division T20 Tournament for next season. Yavatmal, who won all their league matches and the semi-final while chasing, failed at the final hurdle as they could not achieve the challenging 202 target put up by RCA. Yavatmal won the toss and decided to chase, once again. But the law of averages caught them as they were bundled out for 168 in 18.3 overs, thus losing the summit clash by 38 runs. Royal boys had a stuttering start. They lost their opener Vrushubh Arsade (13) early. However, Rehaan Batra showed his temperament and mixed caution with aggression to score a beautiful half century. The left-handed batter’s 65 runs at the top from 36 deliveries had five fours and as many sixes. Along with another star performer of the tournament Keshav Chandra, the two added 86 runs for the second wicket from 51 deliveries with team’s 50 coming in the 6th over. Chandra, who slammed 63 in the semi-finals against SGR Sports Academy, too batted well and contributed 40 from 26 balls hitting four balls to the fence and two over it.

 

However, when it looked that the lanky batter would free his arms, Yavatmal’s Giridhar Hatmode got him caught at long on by Ritesh Shamawar. Keshav’s departure in the 11th over saw Royal losing wickets in heap including of Batra, Pravesh Asudani and Alok Tiwari. Deepesh Vaswani and Aarav Gajbhiye took their score near 180 with a 37-ball partnership. Mohd Akhlakh Ansari freed his arm and picked 21 runs from Sanjay Parmar’s last over as they posted 202. The chase was typical Yavatmal style with their in-form opener Rohidas Lakhule (26) hitting a couple of boundaries and Harsheet Raut hitting one in the very first over to pick 14 from five balls off Deepesh Vaswani. But the bowler had the last laugh as he got nick off Raut’s bat and wicketkeeper Arsade beautifully grabbed it diving to his right. Lakhule was in destructive mood as he hit Aarav Patel to three successive boundaries in the very next over. By the fourth over Yavatmal had raced to 52 for one. Vaswani immediately gave Royal breakthrough by getting the big fish in Lakhule’s wicket. Lakhule, the highest run-scorer of the tournament with 305 runs, threw his bat but failed to get enough power only to hand a catch to Tiwari at long-off region. The big hitter gone, Royal managed to stem the flow of runs. Boundaries dried and Yavatmal batters were forced to take singles and doubles. The asking rate kept on increasing from there on. Wickets fell at regular intervals and Yavatmal crumbled under pressure as Aarav Gajbhiye grabbed the catch of last man Panwar off Vaswani at long-on to ignite celebrations in Royal’s camp.