PANAJI
Spectators at the Panaji Gymkhana ground were treated to two closely fought league encounters on Saturday in the ongoing PGML 5.0 tournament. In the morning match, Desserts N More Avengers defeated Sun Estate Warriors by four wickets, while in the afternoon fixture, RC Goa edged past Manas Mavericks by three wickets.
In the morning contest, Sun Estate Warriors, after winning the toss and opting to bat, were restricted to 125 for 9 in their 20 overs. Mehank Dharwadkar played a fighting knock, remaining unbeaten on 48, while opener Devidas Kholkar contributed 31. However, regular wickets in the middle order prevented the Warriors from posting a bigger total. For the Avengers, Madar Basappa was the most effective bowler with 2 wickets, while Ojas, Amod Borkar, Vikas Shetty, and Muktiar Kadri picked up one wicket each.
Chasing the target, Desserts N More Avengers reached 129 for 6 in 19.1 overs. Amod Borkar anchored the innings with a composed 50 off 42 balls. In the closing stages, Smit Dalvi and Suraj Hirani remained unbeaten to guide their team home. For Sun Estate Warriors, Dhilan Shah claimed 2 wickets, while Rohit Rane took 1.
In the afternoon match, Manas Mavericks batted first and scored 128 for 7 in 20 overs. Ajinkya Kudtarkar top-scored with 38, while Avishkar Mone added 21. For RC Goa, Kushnab Ghai and Ramnath Gaonkar picked up two wickets each, while Aryan Mashelkar, Gauresh Khandeparkar and Vardhan Prabhu Misquin chipped in with one wicket apiece.
In reply, RC Goa chased down the target, finishing on 134 for 7 in 19.3 overs. Ramnath Gaonkar played a steady knock of 41, supported by Aryan Mashelkar (21) and Paras Naik (20. In the final overs, Gauresh Khandeparkar, who smashed 18 runs off just 5 balls, and Dattesh Priolkar (3)remained unbeaten to seal a three-wicket victory. For Manas Mavericks, Avishkar Mone and Om Fadte took two wickets each, while Ajinkya Kudtarkar claimed one.
