CCL 2023: Mumbai Heroes edge out Punjab De Sher to secure maiden win

Earlier today, on February 26th, Karnataka Bulldozers handed the Kerala Blasters their second on-the-trot loss with a clinical performance. In the same vein, the Bulldozers secured their second straight win in the ongoing CCL 2023 tournament and are currently placed in the top three along with Telugu Warriors and Bhojpuri Dabanggs. Kerala Blasters, on the other hand, are now staring down the barrel following their back-to-back defeats.

The second game of the day (Day #7) saw the Punjab De Sher and Mumbai Heroes battle it out for a highly crucial win. Having suffered defeats at the hands of Bhojpuri Dabanggs and Chennai Rhinos respectively, the Sher and Heroes were in pursuit of their maiden victory in the league and the intensity was almost palpable as the two teams collided in Jaipur. 

Winning the toss, Sonu Sood's Punjab De Sher, chose to bowl first but gave away the advantage as Mumbai Heroes, led by Riteish Deshmukh, ended up scoring a whopping 133/4 in their first slot of ten overs. Opener Samir Khochar made a massive impact with a 24-ball 67.

In response, Punjab De Sher could manage a credible 116 at the loss of 6 wickets to hand the Heroes a 17-run lead. Amit Bhalla, Dev Kharod and Anuj Khurana made valuable contributions with the bat for the Sher. Madhav Deochake, on the other hand, for Mumbai Heroes picked up 3 wickets for 19 runs with Raja Bherwani picking 2 for 15.

The Mumbai Heroes looked to capitalize on the situation but fell short of their desired target in the second innings. Sharad Kelkar's gritty 37-run knock from 16 balls got them 108 for the loss of 2 wickets, with Rajiv Rishi of Punjab De Sher picking two wickets for only 10 runs.

Now, with a target of 126 runs in 60 balls in sight, the Sher couldn't have asked for a better start to their chase as they gathered as many as 25 runs in the opening over alone. They would lose wickets, however, with captain Sonu Sood scoring back-to-back ducks in the match, but the run rate never dipped which meant that they were well on course throughout.

However, the Heroes' bowling attack ensured that they were on top of things and continued picking wickets at regular intervals. Thanks to some clinical bowling, Punjab De Sher were restricted to 103 in their chase with 9 batters back in the pavilion, thus allowing Mumbai Heroes to secure their maiden win of the league with 23 runs.