Mysuru: Hubli Tigers fought hard as they notched up their second win of the ongoing Karnataka Premier League, as they outshone Bengaluru Blasters for a two-wicket win at the SDNR Wadiyar Ground in Mysuru on Wednesday.
The Tigers were made to sweat it out, as the Blasters, led by a brilliant five for 20 haul by Abhishek Bhat put up a determined defence of their 102 for 8. Eventually, Hubli crossed the line in 19.1 overs, finishing at 103 for 8 for a two-wicket win.
The only consolation for Bhat was that he became the first bowler in this edition to claim the purple cap.
Though Bengaluru posted a small total, they fought tooth and nail as the match went down to the last over. After Pavan Deshpande (28) and Manjesh Reddy (30) helped the Blasters stay afloat, Abhishek Bhat attacked the Hubli batting line-up from the onset.
But guided by skipper and man-of-the-match R Vinay Kumar (28) and an unbeaten Praveen Dubey, Hubli held onto to notch up their second win of the league.
Brief scores: Bengaluru Blasters 102 for 8 in 20 overs (Pavan Deshpande 28, Manjesh Reddy 30; Abhishek Sakuja 3-20, Aman Khan 2-12) lost to Hubli Tigers 103 for 8 in 19.1 overs (Vinay Kumar 28, Praveen Dubey 32n.o; Abhishek Bhat 5-20, V Koushik 2-17) by two wickets.
