Neco Master Blasters are champs

 

 

 

VEDANT Dighade smacked a title-winning undefeated 80 runs as Neco Master Blaster stunned trophy favourites Pagariya Strikers by seven wickets to clinch the maiden Vidarbha Pro T20 League here at Jamtha Stadium on Sunday night. The law of averages caught Pagariya Strikers who were unbeaten in the tournament winning all their league matches and semi-finals. They put up a challenging 178-7 on the board but Neco Master Blaster batters had saved their best for the last. Unbeaten Dighade with eight boundaries and four sixes, Adhyan Daga (22; 16b, 2x4, 1x6), Aryan Meshram (42; 26b, 2x4, 3x6) and captain Jitesh Sharma (30; 11b, 1x4, 3x6) clobbered Pagariya bowlers to win the match with 13 balls to spare. Dropping Jitesh in the 17th over by Mohd Faiz proved costly as Neco Mastern Blaster captain, who was on 5 then, sealed the deal with a straight six.

 

 

The powerplay score was decent for Neco Master Blaster with 50-1 and at the half-way mark they managed 78-1. Dighade read the pitch well and picked boundaries with ease. At times, he stepped out to clear the ropes and on occasions used his backfoot punch to good effect cutting the balls for fours. He and Aryan Meshram put up 90 runs for the second wicket from 56 deliveries to take their score near the target. Meshram used his brute power to hit a six and a boundary in Kaustubh Salve’s over but the bowler had the last laugh as Meshram handed a straight catch to Ashit Singh at the fence. The duo of Sharma and Dighade then made sure there were no more dents. The start for Pagariya Strikers was jittery. They lost three wickets inside the powerplay for 48 runs only. But they recovered well to post a challenging 178-7.

 

Neco Master Blaster pacer Sanmesh Deshmukh (3-37) struck in his very first over getting two wickets in two deliveries. He first got Dhruv Shorey (6) caught by wicketkeeper Dighade and then disturbed Aditya Ahuja’s (0) furniture in the next delivery. In-form batter Mohd Faiz (19) was sent back by captain Jitesh Sharma off a brilliant pick-up and throw. However, wicketkeeper-batter Shivam Deshmukh (82; 46b, 3x4, 7x6) and Pushpak Gujar (25; 26b, 2x4, 1x6) steadied the rocking ship with a 73 runs fourth wicket partnership. Shivam hit two sixes in an over to ease the pressure while Gujar played the second fiddle. Deshmukh completed his half-century with a sweep boundary off Gaurav Dhoble in the 13th over. Deshmukh continued to pick runs and with captain Yash Kadam (16) added another important 49 runs for the fifth wicket before the latter was sent back by R Sanjay. With seven sixes and three boundaries, Deshmukh’s entertaining innings culminated when, in an attempt to clear the boundary, got caught at fence by Meshram off Sanmesh Deshmukh.