Falcon Risers Hyderabad edged past Tiigers of Kolkata by just one run in an exciting Indian Street Premier League (ISPL) clash that went right down to the wire at the Dadoji Kondadev Stadium here on Friday.
In a match dominated by bowlers, Hyderabad lost their way after a strong start to post 62/9. The Hyderabad bowlers then forced the Kolkata batters to make heavy weather of the seemingly easy target, restricting them to 61/8.
Vicky Bhoir played a crucial role for the Falcons with a four-wicket haul, conceding just six runs.
Chasing a modest target of 63 runs, the Tiigers were off to a cautious start before suffering a batting collapse. The issue was decided in the final over with Kolkata needing 7 runs to win. However, the pressure got to the Kolkata batters as the Falcons celebrated a well-deserved victory.
Earlier, Kolkata saw their decision to bowl after winning the toss pay rich dividends as the Falcons could only manage to post 62/9 in their 10 overs.
Hyderabad were off to a superb start with star opener Kisan Satpute hitting the Kolkata bowlers to all corners of the ground. The first couple of overs produced more than 20 runs as the Falcons seemed set to post a formidable total.
However, things fell apart for Hyderabad rather quickly as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Opener Padmesh Mhatre was the first to depart as he tried to bludgeon Kolkata pacer Firas Mohammed over the long on fence only to see Subhajit Jana Dhoni pull off a well-judged catch right at the boundary. Dhoni did well to collect the high catch and maintain his balance to ensure that he did not trip over the boundary rope.
Firas struck again a couple of deliveries later as Mansoor KL tried to hit over the top only to offer an easy edge to third man. That knocked out the momentum from the Hyderabad innings and things started to go downhill for the Falcons from that point.
In the other match of the evening, Srinagar Ke Veer will take on Majhi Mumbai. All matches are LIVE on Star Sports 1 (TV) and Disney+ Hotstar (OTT).
