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Rohit Sharma added excitement on the opening day of the T20 Mumbai League as Eagle Thane Strikers began their campaign in commanding style, cruising to a dominant nine-wicket win over Bandra Blasters in the tournament opener at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
The victory was powered by a brilliant unbeaten century from Shashwat Jagtap, according to a release. Face of the league, Rohit Sharma, attended the toss of the second match between Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals and Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs. Rohit was joined by Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) President Ajinkya Naik and Rajdip Gupta, Chairman of the League Governing Council, along with members of the MCA Apex Council and the League Governing Council. Earlier, chasing a challenging target of 190, the Strikers made a mockery of the chase as Shashwat and Impact Player Sumeir Zaveri produced a breathtaking opening stand that left the Blasters with no way back. The duo raced to 93 runs in the Powerplay, taking complete control of the contest with an aggressive display of strokeplay. Both batters brought up quick-fire half-centuries as the Strikers continued to dominate. The pair added a match-winning 155 runs for the opening wicket before Sumeir departed after a superb 80 off just 36 deliveries, an innings featuring 11 fours and four sixes. Shashwat, however, remained unbeaten till the end and completed a magnificent century off just 50 balls to guide Eagle Thane Strikers home comfortably and hand them a perfect start in one of India's leading franchise-based domestic T20 tournaments. Earlier, Bandra Blasters recovered well after a shaky start to post 189/9. Eagle Thane Strikers struck early after opting to field, with skipper Shardul Thakur dismissing Prateekkumar Ravishankar for a duck. Captain Suved Parkar (30) and Parag Khanapurkar (16) steadied the innings with a 45-run stand before a mix-up resulted in Parag's dismissal. Atharva Ankolekar further dented the innings with two wickets in consecutive deliveries before Dhrumil Matkar provided a late flourish, remaining unbeaten on 28 off 17 balls to help the Blasters finish on a competitive total. Later in the day, Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals will take on Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs in the second match of the men's tournament. On Tuesday, the inaugural edition of the T20 Mumbai Women's League will kick off, adding a new chapter to the league's history, with SOBO Mumbai Falcons taking on Thane Sky Risers in the first-ever match, starting at 9:30 am. Brief Scores: Bandra Blasters 189/9 in 20 overs (Jay Jain 45, Om Keshkamat 40, Suved Parkar 30; Onkar Tarmale 3/28, Atharva Ankolekar 2/34) lost to Eagle Thane Strikers 194/1 in 15.2 overs (Shashwat Jagtap 100 not out, Sumeir Zaveri 80) by 9 wickets. (ANI)
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