T20 Mumbai League: SoBo Mumbai Falcons ready to face NaMo Bandra Blasters in semis
Mumbai: Shreyas Iyer will be hoping to reach a second successive final when his side SoBo Mumbai Falcons takes on NaMo Bandra Blasters in the second semifinal of the T20 Mumbai League at the Wankhede Stadium here on Tuesday.
A week back, Iyer had guided Punjab Kings to the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Ahmedabad, where they finished runners-up to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Having already secured their spot in T20 Mumbai League semifinals, SoBo Mumbai Falcons warmed up for the knockout stage with a facile win against Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs in the last league stage match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night.
The five-wicket win – set up by Ishan Mulchandani's second fifty of the season and his crucial partnership with captain Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who took over from Shreyas Iyer for Sunday night's game – was SoBo Mumbai Falcons' fourth win in five league games. Eagle Thane Strikers were the only other team to win four league games.
It means that the Falcons will take on NaMo Bandra Blasters in the second semifinal on Tuesday under lights at the Wankhede Stadium. The Falcons' troupe – led by Shreyas and Raghuvanshi and ably guided by Team Principal Vikrant Yeligati – has all the bases covered heading into the business of the tournament.
As he showcased during his 99-run partnership with Raghuvanshi at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night, Mulchandani was in sublime touch. With 147 runs, he is the Falcons' highest run-getter of the tournament. Similarly, Siddharth Raut continued his exploits with the new ball as the seasoned pacer justified his billing as the leader of the pace pack.
Add to that the fact that the allrounder duo of Vinayak Bhoir and Akash Parkar – who had a four-wicket haul against Aakash Tigers – are in top gear, underlines that the Falcons are a well-oiled machine that's raring to go at full throttle against the Blasters. Both Bhoir – the left-arm spinner and left-handed batter – and Parkar, the big-hitter and a right-arm pacer, have had at least one notable contribution both with the bat and the ball.
While the seasoned duo has maintained the balance of the team, the Falcons have also unearthed the find of the tournament in Harsh Aghav. The young batter can dominate the bowlers with textbook shots. He will be hoping to withstand the big-match pressure at the Big W on Tuesday night.
The winner of the first semifinal between Eagle Thane Strikers and MSC Maratha Royals – to be played on Tuesday afternoon – will be keeping a close watch on the Falcons' semifinal, just like scores of the Falcons' fan army that will be cheering the squad at the top of their voice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
15 minutes ago
- First Post
RCB owner issues statement after sale rumours emerge following maiden IPL title win
After RCB's maiden IPL title win in 2025, media reports speculated a possible sale of the franchise. The reports emerged following the deadly stampede in Bengaluru that killed 11 fans during victory celebrations. Current owner Diageo India has now issued a statement, clarifying their stance on the matter. read more After Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifted their first-ever IPL title this year, media reports emerged stating that the team might be up for sale. RCB defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 6 runs in the IPL 2025 final to end their 18-year-long drought. Immediately after this, news started doing the rounds of a possible sale of the franchise. RCB's historic IPL 2025 win sparks sale speculation However, the current owner of RCB, Diageo India, has denied all rumours. The company has clearly said that it is not looking to sell the RCB franchise. According to Cricbuzz, Diageo made this statement in a letter to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Tuesday, 10 June. This clarification came after the BSE reached out to Diageo regarding the rumours. 'The company would like to clarify that the aforesaid media reports are speculative in nature and it is not pursuing any such discussion. This is for your information and records,' Mital Sanghvi, the company secretary, was quoted as saying to BSE. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tragic incident in Bengaluru adds to the speculation The speculation started when Bloomberg published a report earlier this morning suggesting that Diageo was looking for options to sell the RCB team. The report came just days after RCB's IPL 2025 victory on 3 June and a tragic stampede incident in Bengaluru on 4 June, where 11 people lost their lives during the celebrations. There were reports that since the news of the potential sale emerged, Diageo's stocks have risen in value. Meanwhile, there are speculations that RCB's owner is exploring options to sell the franchise because of the recent incident that may have caused some reputational damage to the company. Some reports also claimed that Diageo was looking at a valuation of $2 billion for the IPL team. 'I will not be surprised if it is sold for a higher price,' IPL founder Lalit Modi was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. As per Modi, the valuation being quoted in the media is not far off. RCB's IPL victory may have increased the brand value of the franchise. The Gujarat Titans team was recently sold for nearly $1 billion to Torrent Group.
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Australia take bait on 'opener' Marnus Labuschagne as Pat Cummins reveals Playing XI for WTC final vs South Africa
The Australian team has decided to go ahead with Marnus Labuschagne to partner up with Usman Khawaja for the opening position in the World Test Championship final against South Africa. The defending WTC champions have failed to find a solution for the big gap at the opening slot since the retirement of David Warner 17 months ago. Steve Smith was the first one who put his hands up for the big role after Warner's retirement, but the move didn't pan out well and he was dropped to his old position at number after just four Tests. Nathan McSweeney got the chance to fill in the big shoes in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but he failed to get going against Jasprit Bumrah and Co. Sam Konstas was thrust into the side during the home series. He scored a blazing 60 on debut, but was less effective in the next Test and was jettisoned in favour of Travis Head for Australia's tour of Sri Lanka. But with Head reverting to five, Labuschagne, best known as a number three, has been promoted to open for the first time in his Test career. Cameron Green, who recently recovered from the injury, got back into the Australia XI straightaway for the massive clash. "Cam Green, the last few weeks, he's had coming back in great form, we thought he deserves a spot somewhere in the batting line-up," Cummins said on the eve of the final. "We thought three probably suits him best. "And then with Marnus moving, we thought it's one spot up, it's not too different to batting at three. He's done well here in England in the past." Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has been selected ahead of Scott Boland, with all-rounder Beau Webster included to provide back-up overs, given Green is still not fit to bowl. Boland took 10 wickets in his last Test as Australia defeated India in Sydney to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and secure a spot in the WTC final. But he has never played at Lord's, where Hazlewood, only recently returned from a shoulder problem in the Indian Premier League, has taken 13 wickets in three Tests. "There are some guys where you genuinely say, you've done nothing wrong, don't change a thing and that's Scotty," said fellow paceman Cummins. "He is just really unfortunate to miss out." Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wkt), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
The Hindu
30 minutes ago
- The Hindu
TNPL is a great platform from which you can progress to the IPL: Karthik Meiyappan
Nearly three years ago, Karthik Meiyappan etched his name in the record books when he performed a hat-trick for the UAE against Sri Lanka in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. The leg-spinner, who has played 31 ODIs and 15 T20Is for the UAE, has since taken a leap of faith, returning to Chennai last year to pursue his career and find a place in the IPL. On Sunday, the 24-year-old took that first step when he made his TNPL debut for Siechem Madurai Panthers against Salem Spartans here at the Sri Ramakrishna College ground. 'The quality of cricket and the standards are pretty high. Being a spinner in Tamil Nadu, it's challenging considering how good the players are against spin. I am looking forward to that challenge. The TNPL is a great platform from which you can progress to the IPL, and as a leg-spinner, I fancy my chances. So that's the reason I moved back,' explained Karthik. Born in Chennai, he moved to the UAE at the age of seven, where he began playing the game and went on to be part of the under-19 side and then progressed to the senior team. Recalling his moment of glory, the 24-year-old said: 'Playing the World Cup itself was a great experience. Going into the Sri Lankan game, it's extremely hard for you to dream of a hat-trick. It just happens by itself.' 'I felt I planned out the over well. I was going to back myself with the googly (for the hat-trick ball), like I always did. I still feel like he (Dasun Shanaka) picked it, but then it landed perfectly, came out well, out of the hands, it felt great.' On his targets for the year, Karthik says, 'I want to put up maximum performances for the side and get wickets. After TNPL, I'm excited for my second season in the TNCA first division because I feel better than last year (he played for Alwarpet CC), which was challenging. I'm confident that if I put up a good performance this season, it'll probably open the doors for me.'
