PremiumCCL 2024: Vikranth almost single-handedly gives Chennai Rhinos a stupendous win against Punjab De Sher
CCL 2024: The first match on Day 3 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium was quite one-sided, with the Chennai Rhinos proving that experience matters
Last Updated: 06.35 PM, Feb 25, 2024
When a team that’s played all 9 editions of the Celebrity Cricket League and won it twice takes on another that is only in its fourth outing ever and has never made it past the group stages, there’s bound to be some level of on-field supremacy that comes with experience. That’s all that the Chennai Rhinos had to rely on today when they played Punjab De Sher in the first match on Day 3 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The Chennai Rhinos batted first and got to 92 for the loss of 3 wickets only in their first 10 overs, thanks largely to Vikranth’s knock of 56 from 30 balls. Extras accounted for 11 runs and was the second highest score, with the rest contributing in single digits only. Chasing this, Punjab De Sher struggled to 80 for the loss of 6 wickets, 12 runs not coming of the bat of any the players.
In their second innings, the Chennai Rhinos did a tad better and this time around, Vikranth got support from Ajay Rohan (30). Vikranth, who was operating with a runner, was still the top scorer with a fine 41 of 24 balls, which took the team to 109/4 and an overall 121 run lead, setting Team Punjab a target of 122 in their last set of 10 overs.
At over 12 runs an over asking rate, the total was always going to be a big ask for the Punjab side. They tried, no doubt, but it was just never enough and they folded their innings at 80/7, with Aparshakti Khuranna emerging the top scorer with 24 to his credit.
Up next is the big match of the day, when the Karnataka Bulldozers, one of the most popular teams of the league, and two-time champs, meet the Mumbai Heroes for the last match in Sharjah. Mumbai is already ahead on the points table, having defeated the Kerala Strikers in the inaugural match on Friday. The Karnataka side has been in the finals of the Celebrity Cricket League 6 times so far, and are looking at bettering their statistics in the 10thseason of the tournament.
If you look at team performance over the years, the Karnataka Bulldozers definitely come across as the superior side, but if the performance on Friday is anything to go by, the Mumbai Heroes are ready to put on a fight and how.
The Celebrity Cricket League’s live stream partner is JioCinema, with Doordarshan and Sony Ten 5 on board as broadcast partners. You can also catch the matches on the YouTube channel of Doordarshan.