Ranga Reddy Risers produced a composed all-round performance to register a five-wicket victory over Medak Falcons in the HCA’s Sreenidhi University TG20 Tournament at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal, on Tuesday. After restricting Medak Falcons to 164/8, the Risers overcame a mid-innings wobble through a calm partnership between Nanavath Rakesh and Nitin Sai Yadav. The latter finished the chase in style as the Risers reached the target with 10 balls to spare. The Falcons got off to a bright start as Purnanand Rao set the tone with a series of boundaries in the opening overs. He kept the scoreboard ticking, but Risers skipper Tanay Thyagarajan struck the first blow, bowling Shrunjith Reddy (6 off 5) in his first over of the match. Purnanand continued to apply pressure on the Risers’ bowling attack, but wickets kept falling at the other end. Falcons captain Ravi Teja (6 off 4) was caught by Prakash Reddy off Tanay Jaddu before Tanay Thyagarajan produced another breakthrough, dismissing the dangerous Purnanand, who made a brisk 38 off 20 balls before being brilliantly caught by Aditya Javvaji. The wicket slowed the Falcons’ momentum considerably, with Nitin Sai Yadav delivering a maiden in the final over of the powerplay as the Falcons reached 51/3. The Falcons had to wait 19 deliveries for their next boundary, which came in the form of a six from Vikram Naik. The wicketkeeper-batter then joined forces with Naman Agarwal (37 off 30), and the pair rebuilt the innings through sensible strike rotation and timely boundaries. Their partnership gathered momentum, highlighted by a 16-run 12th over off Tanay Jaddu that took the Falcons past the 100-run mark. However, Tanay Thyagarajan returned to break the 76-run stand, claiming his third wicket of the evening. The dismissal triggered a collapse. Varun Yerram (1 off 2) soon departed, handing Arun Kumar his first wicket, while Surya Teja (10 off 10) was bowled by Tanay Jaddu. Vikram Naik fought hard for his 49 off 38 balls, but his dismissal to Aryan Cariappa effectively ended the Falcons’ hopes of a strong finish. The Falcons eventually closed their innings at 164/8. Aaron George and Avanish Rao gave the Risers the perfect start to their chase, taking the attack to the Falcons’ bowlers from the outset. Aaron plundered 16 runs in the opening over, while Avanish followed it up with a 12-run second over to lay a strong foundation. Falcons skipper Ravi Teja struck back in the third over, ending the opening stand by dismissing Aaron for a brisk 27 off 13 balls. Avanish continued to score freely and kept the scoreboard moving at a healthy rate. However, Varun Yerram turned the game on its head with a double strike in the final over of the powerplay, removing Avanish for 25 off 12 balls and Aditya Javvaji (12 off 9) to leave the Risers in a spot of trouble at 66/3. The Falcons’ bowlers then tightened their grip on proceedings, restricting the flow of boundaries. The Risers had to wait 31 deliveries for their next boundary, which came off the bat of skipper Tanay Thyagarajan. Sensing the need to shift momentum, Tanay counterattacked with two more fours and a six during his quickfire 21 off 11 balls. However, Ahwinan Ram struck at a crucial juncture to dismiss the Risers captain, reducing them to 117/5. With 48 runs required from the final seven overs, responsibility fell on Nanavath Rakesh (37 not out off 33) and Nitin Sai Yadav (28 not out off 19). The pair remained composed under pressure, rotating the strike effectively while capitalising on scoring opportunities. Nitin accelerated at the perfect time, striking a pair of boundaries in the 17th over to bring the target within reach and ease the pressure. The finishing touches came in the 19th over as Nitin launched the match-winning six to cap a composed chase, guiding Ranga Reddy Risers to victory with five wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare.
