SoBo Supersonics scored a 78-run win over ARCS Andheri to seal a spot in the play-offs of the T20 Mumbai League at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
Supersonics came up with the tournament’s highest total — 236 for 3 — after being put in to bat first. Sujit Nayak’s unbeaten 99 was the highlight of the innings. ARCS never quite threatened to chase the massive target down, being bowled out for 158. The loss meant ARCS are out of reckoning for a spot in the play-offs.
With such a massive target in front of them, ARCS had to go after the bowling from the word go. And it meant taking a lot of risks, which turned out to be an unsuccessful plan for the ARCS batsmen. They lost three wickets in the power-play overs, and never got the required momentum.
All-rounder Shubham Ranjane and skipper Iqbal Abdulla gave the ARCS’ score some respectability. Ranjane scored 58 off 36 balls (five fours, three sixes). Abdulla’s 57 came off 40 balls.
For Supersonics, Badre Alam took five wickets for 28 runs, becoming the second bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the tournament.
The Supersonics’ innings was a terrific exhibition of power hitting, especially from their top three batsmen.
Skipper Abhishek Nayar decided to drop himself down in the batting order, and promoted Akarshit Gomel to open the innings with the in-form Jay Bista.
And the move turned out to be very successful as the openers put together 63 runs in 6.5 overs. Bista struck a couple of fours and a six during his 22-ball 30-run knock, before being run out.
Gomel made full use of the opportunity, smacking seven fours and two sixes during his 66-run knock off 44 balls. Gomel added 94 runs off just 52 deliveries, as none of the ARCS bowlers were spared. By the time Gomel was dismissed, Supersonics looked certain to get the first 200-plus total of the tournament. And they got few more than that, as Nayak simply launched into the ARCS’ bowlers.
His six fours and nine sixes enabled to 236 for 3. Rohan Raje played his role to perfection, hammering 20 runs off seven balls, with the help of two fours and as many sixes.
But Nayak, without a doubt, was the man of the innings. He struck sixes with ridiculous ease, and most of them were into stands.
He was particularly severe on medium pacer Tushar Deshpande, hitting him for three consecutive sixes in the final over. That took Nayak from 80 to 98. But the left-hander managed to get a single off the next ball, and was unlucky not to get the strike back to complete a well deserved century.
