CCL: Kerala strikers stun Mumbai heroes

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It resembled a jam-packed second show. Celebrities, cricket, glitz and glamour marked the show which enthralled nearly 45,000 people at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi on Saturday.

The home team AMMA Kerala Strikers too rose to the occasion and began their campaign in the third season of Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) with a thrilling three-wicket victory against Mumbai Heroes.
Chasing a moderate target of 136 in 20 overs, the Mohanlal-led Kerala team reached the target in 19.1 overs, losing seven wickets in the process. It was man-of-the match Vivek Gopan who took the Strikers home, hitting a huge six in the last over of the match, with his team requiring six runs off the last six balls.
Mumbai Heroes won the toss and decided to bat first. Opener Sunny Singh made 45 runs while Aftab Shivdasani chipped in with 36 as they finished with 135 runs for the loss of five wickets. The Bollywood side had a shaky start after losing opener Varun Badola in the very first over bowled by Manikkuttan. Vivek Gopan then removed Raja Bherwani for 8 runs in the sixth over. However, Sunny Singh, along with Aftab, steadied the innings, but the partnership was broken by Santhosh Sleeba.
It was a disciplined bowling performance by the hosts, with Manikkuttan, Santhosh Sleeba, Bineesh Kodiyeri and Madan Mohan sharing a wicket each. Much to the disappointment of the crowd, Mohanlal’s over turned out to be the costliest one, with 17 runs coming off it.
Kerala Strikers started on a right note, scoring 24 runs in the first four overs. But the home side soon lost opener Nivin Pauly. The Strikers went on to lose four quick wickets including that of last year’s hero Rajeev Pillai, who scored 16. Raja put Mumbai in control of the match by claiming three wickets in one over. Sumesh and Arjun Sleeba came together with the Kerala team reeling at 42 for five. The two managed to build a partnership which got the Strikers back in to the game, with Sumesh entertaining the crowd with consecutive sixes in the ninth over.
However Sumesh’s cameo came to an end, as he was dismissed for a well-made 34 from 22 balls. Arjun Sleeba, who scored 16 runs, soon followed him to the pavilion.
However, Vivek Gopan and Bineesh Kodiyeri, who came together when their team required 38 runs off 36 balls, took the Strikers to victory. With 17 required from the last two overs, Vivek and Bineesh scored ten off the penultimate over.
The first ball of the final over bowled by Shabir went for a wide. The next ball was smashed out of the ground by Vivek Gopan, who remained unbeaten on 29 from 19 balls.




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