That was some performance from the Southern Super Stars! It was their first game and by no means did they show any signs of rustiness. They blew the India Captains away both with bat and ball.
We have a double header aligned for tomorrow! Mumbai Spartans take on Konark Suryas Odisha at 2:30 PM IST and Local Time. Royal Riders Punjab take on Southern Super Stars at 7:30 PM IST and Local Time.
On this note, I, Manan Mehta would like to take your leave on behalf of my colleagues Saptak Sanyal and Sachin Yadav.B-byeee!
Rajat Bhatia (Southern Super Stars Captain):"(What was the motivation ahead of this match?) I just wanted things to be simple. I was just watching this with you guys only. I knew hitting the right areas was going to reward us with wickets. We played this game with a very clear mind and positive intent.
(What was the plan to use Ajit Chandila?) To be honest it didn't spin much. The thing was bounce and it was coming slow. Only thing I told them was to not to try anything extra.
(On Hamilton Masakadza's knock) He is a class player. I asked him where he wanted to go and he was ready to go at number 3. It feels great."
Ajit Chandila (POTM): "(Thoughts on his performance) When we win it feels very good. My experience worked. The captain and coach know me well and they used me well in the game.
(Thoughts on the pitch) The pitch helped a lot. I spoke to Rajat and we have played a lot together and that helps.
(How's the mood in the camp?) The mood in the camp is excellent. We are all like family. I was playing with Rajat after 15 years and it felt amazing."
Legend of the Match: Ajit Chandila
Time for the Post-Match Presentations...
10:52 PM IST and Local Time: Southern Super Stars start their LLC 2026 campaign with a thumping victory over the India Captains. They have obliterated them totally and won the game by 8 wickets and with 64 balls remaining in the run chase.
India Captains' captain Imtiyaz Ahmed elected to bat first winning the toss. They lost Gaurav Tomar early in the innings but Hashim Amla and Sheldon Jackson quietly added 21 runs in their second wicket partnership. But Ravi Jangid removed Amla for 12 and the downfall started. Rajesh Bishnoi hit a couple of boundaries on his way to score 12 but he got dismissed by Ajit Chandila and that brought a cessation to the run flow.
Sheldon Jackson got out scoring 17 and nobody in the middle order stood tall for the Captains. Aniruddha Joshi, Ritik Sharma and Anup Ahlawat got out and that brought Parvinder Awana to accompany his skipper Imtiyaz Ahmed in the crease. Awana hit 2 maximums and a boundary on his way to score 21 off 15 balls. He was the top scorer for the Captains before Diwesh Pathania got the better of him. Captains could score only 6 runs after his dismissal and got bundled out for 87.
Ajit Chandila was the star of the show picking up 4 wickets for 22 runs. Diwesh Pathania, Rajat Bhatia and Ravi Jangid took a couple of wickets each.
When the Super Stars came in pursuit of the 88-run target, they were dented early. Rajat Bhatia's leg stump was knocked over by Parvinder Awana. The other opener Puneet Bisht also got out cheaply and Awana had two wickets in the powerplay. Awana and Imtiyaz halted the innings progression of Super Stars a bit but when spin was introduced, Masakadza pounced on it. He hit three maximums off Ritik Sharma and took 24 runs off his first and only over of the innings.
Masakadza didn't stop then. He then went after Akshay Wakhare and took 16 from his over. These two overs took the game away from the Captains. Masakadza eventually got to his fifty in 24 balls and remained unbeaten on 61 off 30 balls. He hit 7 fours and 4 maximums on his way. Dilshan Munaweera played a perfect second fiddle to him scoring 20 off 18 balls.
OVER 10
Southern Super Stars
88/2
Dilshan Munaweera
20(18)
Hamilton Masakadza
61(30)
Gaurav Tomar
0-2(0.2)
9.2 G Tomar to D Munaweera
1 The winning runs are scored!!! Length ball outside off stump, Dilshan hangs back and cuts the ball past the covers fielder for a single! That is a proper drubbing inflicted by Southern Super Stars on the India Captains! They have chased the total down in just 9.2 overs!