Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy: Maharashtra pull off a thrilling win over Kerala

After opening their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy campaign with a win over Services, Kerala slumped to a four-wicket loss against Maharashtra at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, on Monday. The chief protagonist of Maharashtra's win was Divyan Hinganekar, whose superb all-round show (2/24 & 43*) helped them overhaul Kerala's target of 188 with a delivery to spare.
Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and inserted Kerala into bat. Openers Sanju Samson (19 off 15 balls) and Rohan Kunnummal gave them a brisk start before the Kerala captain became the first batsman to be dismissed in the fifth over.
Vishnu Vinod (1) and Salman Nizar (9) couldn't contribute much, and Kunnummal too perished before the score reached 100. The opener was the top-scorer for Kerala with a 24-ball 45 (5x4, 2x6).
However, cameos from Mohammed Azharuddeen (40 off 29 balls, 3x4, 2x6) and Sachin Baby (40* off 25 balls, 3x4, 2x6) propelled Kerala to a decent total of 187 for seven in 20 overs. Apart from Hinganekar, Arshin Kulkarni also claimed two wickets for Maharashtra.
Kerala pacer MD Nidheesh removed Maharashtra skipper Gaikwad (1) in the second over of their chase. However, Rahul Tripathi (44 off 28 balls, 4x4, 1x6) took the attack to the opposition and was given useful support by Arshin Kulkarni (24 off 21 balls) and Azim Kazi (32 off 26 balls). But Maharashtra still required 66 to win from 29 balls when Kazi fell in the 16th over.
That's when Hinganekar changed the complexion of the game with a whirlwind innings. He smashed five fours and two sixes in his 18-ball unbeaten knock to steer his side to victory. Ramakrishna Ghosh too played his part for Maharashtra with an unbeaten 13 off just five balls.
Kerala's five-wicket hero in the opening match, Akhil Scaria, was taken to the cleaners by the Maharashtra batters as he went for 43 runs from 3.5 overs. Sijomon Joseph and Nidheesh claimed two wickets each for Kerala.
Brief scores: Kerala 187/7 in 20 overs (Rohan Kunnummal 45, Mohammed Azharuddeen 40, Sachin Baby 40*, Divyang Hinganekar 2/24) lost to Maharashtra 189/6 in 19.5 overs (Rahul Tripathi 44, Divyang Hinganekar 43*, MD Nidheesh 2/35, Sijomon Joseph 2/42)