Dubai
The inaugural match of the Big Cricket League lit up the city of Surat with a spectacular contest, as the Northern Challengers, led by Shikhar Dhawan, triumphed over Suresh Raina’s Southern Spartans by six wickets in a high-scoring thriller.
Winning the toss, the Challengers opted to field first, setting the stage for a star-studded clash. The Spartans had a steady start, with Solomon Mire anchoring the innings with an impressive 47 off 28 balls. Despite losing Faiz Fazal early for just 9, the Spartans recovered brilliantly, thanks to their captain Suresh Raina. The veteran delivered a scintillating knock of 49 off 27 balls, supported by wicketkeeper-batter Shrestha’s patient 36 off 33.
In the death overs, Aman Khan (29 off 9) and Abhimanyu Mithun (27 off 12) unleashed fireworks, propelling the Spartans to an imposing total of 203/4 in their 20 overs.
Chasing a daunting target, the Northern Challengers got off to a flying start, courtesy of their skipper Shikhar Dhawan. Fresh from his exploits in the Nepal Premier League, Dhawan continued his red-hot form, smashing a 23-ball half-century. His innings of 86 off just 43 balls included 8 towering sixes and 4 boundaries, enthralling the packed stadium.
Dhawan received valuable support from Gurkeerat Singh Mann (31 off 14) and Bipul Sharma, who played a composed unbeaten knock of 33 off 19. The Challengers maintained their momentum throughout the chase, reaching the target with eight balls to spare, finishing at 207/4.
Shikhar Dhawan’s Northern Challengers win by 6 wickets in Big Cricket League
Dubai: After a brilliant contest in the opening match of the Big Cricket League, Shikhar Dhawan’s Northern Challengers defeated Suresh Raina’s Southern Spartans by 6 wickets in a high-scoring thriller. The Challengers won the toss and decided to field first. The Spartans got off to a solid start and Solomon Mayer played a brilliant innings of 47 runs off 28 balls. Despite the dismissal of Faiz Fazal for just 9 runs, the Spartans put in a brilliant performance thanks to their captain Suresh Raina. He played a brilliant innings of 49 runs off 27 balls, which was supported by wicketkeeper-batsman Shreshtha who scored 36 runs off 33 balls. In the death overs, Aman Khan (29 off 9 balls) and Abhimanyu Mithun (27 off 12 balls) put on fireworks, thanks to which Spartans scored 203 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Chasing a difficult target, Northern Challengers got off to a brilliant start thanks to their captain Shikhar Dhawan. After his exploits in the Nepal Premier League, Dhawan continued his excellent form and scored a half-century off 23 balls. He played an innings of 86 runs off just 43 balls, which included 8 sixes and 4 fours. Dhawan played an unbeaten innings of 33 runs off 19 balls. The Challengers maintained their momentum in pursuit of the target and won the match by scoring 207 runs for the loss of 4 wickets with 8 balls remaining in the match