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The Southern Superstars' bowlers showcased exceptional discipline in the first innings, paving the way for a well-deserved victory against the Manipal Tigers. A noteworthy contribution from Pawan Negi with the bat in the second innings further solidified their triumph, resulting in a 5-wicket win at the Maulana Azad Stadium in Jammu on Monday.
This significant achievement marks the Southern Superstars' first victory in the tournament. The Manipal Tigers are still placed at the top of the points table with two wins from three matches while Souther Superstars are now placed at fifth spot with a better NRR from Bhilwara Kings. Earlier in the match, after winning the toss, Manipal Tigers elected to bat first. They were quickly reduced to 14/2 in just the third over. After losing the openers Robin Uthappa(11) and S Badrinath(2), Hamilton Masakadza(26) tried to build an innings but was dismissed by Johan Botha in the 11th over. Angelo Perera was the lone warrior for Manipal who scored 47 of 34 balls with two fours and two sixes and helped his team to register a score of 124/9 at the end of the 20th over. Thisara Perera(13) also made a small contribution in the later part of the innings. Pawan Negi(2/12), Abdur Razzak(2/18) and Johan Botha(2/22) were the picks of the bowlers for Southern Superstars. Ashok Dinda and Chaturanga de Silva also made a valuable contribution by picking one wicket each. With a target of 125, the Southern Superstars started the innings cautiously. Jesse Ryder(30) and Upul Tharanga(30) put up a solid first-wicket partnership of 60 runs. They were then reduced to 90/5 at the end of the 17th over. Captain Harbhajan Singh displayed exceptional bowling skills and claimed the initial wicket for his team, leading to a significant boost in their morale. Additionally, his teammates made valuable contributions in curbing the opponent's scoring opportunities. Shreevats Goswami(19) and Pawan Negi(25) came to the rescue of Southern Superstars as the duo added 35 runs without giving away their wicket. With 16 runs needed off the last over, Thisara Perera was handed the ball to defend the total, but he couldn't restrict Pawan Negi from finding two crucial boundaries. At last, with six runs needed off the last three balls, Negi didn't waste any time and sealed the match for his side with a six over deep midwicket. Praveen Gupta(2/9) and Imran Khan(2/21) were the pick of the bowlers for Manipal Tigers, while captain Harbhajan Singh picked one wicket by giving 10 runs in four overs. (ANI)
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