* Dhawan, Gayle fail to show magic with bat
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 5: The Manipal Tigers celebrated their second victory in the Legends League Cricket 2024, defeating Gujarat Greats by 5 wickets at Maulana Azad Stadium in the first match of today. This win was powered by a solid all-round performance from both batters and bowlers.
After winning the toss, Gujarat Greats opted to bat first. However, their innings struggled from the outset. Shikhar Dhawan, the captain, managed only 8 runs from 8 balls, and his opening partner, Morne van Wyk, scored just 1 off 5. Chris Gayle added 14 runs from 5 balls, while Mohammad Kaif top-scored with 34 runs from 40 balls. The Greats were eventually bowled out for 131 runs in 19.4 overs, with Yashpal Singh contributing 14 runs and Debabrata Das remaining unbeaten on 14 runs from 12 balls.
For the Tigers, Praveen Gupta was the standout bowler, taking 2 wickets for 27 runs in 4 overs. Obus Pienaar, Asela Gunaratne, Rahul Shukla, Imran Khan and Thisara Perera each claimed a wicket.
In response, Manipal Tigers set out to chase down the target of 132 runs. Openers Phil Mustard and Manoj Tiwary managed to put up 24 runs before Mustard fell for 18 runs from 8 balls. Tiwary contributed 29 runs off 27 balls, while Obus Pienaar added 21 from 13 balls.
The match turned in favor of the Tigers when Asela Gunaratne and Thisara Perera formed a crucial partnership, adding 51 runs for the sixth wicket. Gunaratne remained not out on 13 runs from 14 balls, while Perera closed the game with a solid 38 runs off 22 balls. Manipal Tigers successfully chased the target in 17 overs.
For Gujarat Greats, Manan Sharma was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3 wickets for 36 runs in 4 overs, while Seekkuge Prasanna claimed 2 wickets for 23 runs in 3 overs.
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