PANAJI
Dempo Challengers for the second time running booked a place in the finals of the PGML 2.0, defeating Manas Mavericks by four wickets in the second eliminator round at the Panjim Gymkhana ground on Saturday.
Batting second, the Challengers, who were runners-up in the league's maiden edition last year, scored 143 for the loss of six wickets, winning the match with four balls to spare, to earn a place in the finals on Sunday, where they will face Priority Titans.
Chasing 142, Dempo Challengers were off to a brisk start with all the four top-order batsmen hitting a rich vein of form. Team captain Aditya Angle top-scored with a brisk 37 off 21 balls, while Kiran Shirwaikar and the tournament's highest run-getter Devidas Kholkar scored 35 runs each. The inability of the Manas Mavericks bowlers to make an early impact, enabled Dempo Challengers to steadily pile up the score during the run chase.
Earlier, Manas Mavericks who were put in to bat after they lost the toss, scored 142 for nine thanks to a 37-run innings by Iliyas Naroo, while Anish Kakode shored up the tail-end of their batting line-up with a quick 28 off 15 balls, which included two sixers.
The Challengers' right-arm medium pace bowler Dattesh Priolkar took three wickets for 17 runs, pegging back the Mavericks' momentum at regular intervals. Priolkar was adjudged the Man of the Match.
After the five league round matches, the Mavericks had topped the PGML 2.0 league table, with Priority Titans placed second. The Titans will now play Dempo Challengers in the finals of the tournament on Sunday, February 5 at the Panjim Gymkhana ground.
PGML 2.0 carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh for the winning team, while the runners-up will be awarded a purse of Rs 1 lakh.
