Now things start to move quickly in the table. The Royals rise to the top with three wins in three, confidence growing with every outing. The Yaks sit with two losses in three and must regroup fast before the gap widens. They have the bowling to win matches. They now need the batting to match it. The league has just begun to get spicy, and cricket, as always, has more drama to offer in the next match.
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentator Saptak Sanyal and scorer Asraj Khan. That’s it from our side. Thanks for joining. But cricket doesn’t sleep. Plenty is happening around the world. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!
Dipendra Singh Airee (Player of the Match & Sudurpaschim Royals Captain):"The ball was turning and we wanted to use the turn. It is going good as a skipper for me.
We want to take the confidence from this match and I hope it helps us moving forward in the tournament."
Player of the match - Dipendra Singh Airee
Maximum Fours - Pawan Sarraf
Energetic Player of the match - Sompal Kami
Catch of the match - Deepak Bohara
Time for the Post-Match Presentations...
7:24 PM IST, 7:39 PM LOCAL TIME: When belief meets discipline, even 139 can become a mountain, and today the Sudurpaschim Royals proved exactly that. A 45-run win. A third straight victory. A match that many thought would swing the Yaks’ way at the halfway mark suddenly turned into a clinic in bowling precision and batting collapse. The Royals stayed united with intent, while the Yaks stumbled with execution. Momentum shifted once and never returned. A huge win, a huge statement, and a reminder that totals don’t chase themselves.
The chase began on the wrong note for the Yaks as Panchal walked back for a duck, followed by Watt, who impressed briefly with two towering sixes before Airee trapped him dead in front. Dhami sent Bosisto packing, and Airee struck again to remove Najibullah Zadran. In no time, the scoreboard read 29/4 inside the Powerplay. That spoke everything. The Royals stayed sharp, while the Yaks froze under pressure. Every dot ball echoed louder than the last.
Things changed for a brief spell when skipper Sompal Kami teamed up with Pawan Sarraf. Sarraf looked fluent and stroked boundaries with elegance, while Kami rotated the strike well to keep the partnership ticking. They added 34 valuable runs that momentarily gave hope to their dressing room. But Harmeet broke the stand, and the game tilted once again. It was a moment that felt soft in the scorebook but heavy in impact.
From there, it went downhill. Abinash removed the set Sarraf in a massive moment of the game, and Airee returned to shatter Gulshan Jha. Confidence evaporated. Scott then dismissed Nandan thanks to a stunning diving grab from the substitute fielder D Bohara. And fittingly, A Bohara sealed the chase by removing Arjun. The innings ended at 94 in 19.2 overs. The target never looked within reach.
Airee was sensational, not just with the scalps but with energy. Three wickets in the Powerplay and that iconic backflip celebration after the Zadran wicket lifted the tempo of the whole stadium. Harmeet bowled his heart out, and Scott and Dhami delivered in the middle overs to squeeze the Yaks under a heavy blanket of pressure. Everyone knew their role and performed in sync - no standalone hero, just a complete bowling unit.
Earlier, it was Sompal Kami who lit up the day with the very first ball, dismissing Josh Brown to give the Yaks a dream start. Bhandari and Lynn promised, but couldn’t convert. Ishan was run out cheaply. The Royals were rocked. However, Aarif and Skipper Airee rebuilt calmly. Aarif chipped in with 27 runs while Airee top-scored with 39 off 28 balls, including a boundary and two massive sixes. Harmeet added 19 off 16 and Kuggeleijn chipped in with 10 off 8 to drag the innings to 139/9 - below par on paper but just enough with belief.
The Yaks bowlers deserved credit. Sompal led from the front with 3/32. Nandan was superb with 2/11 in three overs - the most economical bowler of the night. Watt delivered 1/19. They stuck to plans, kept batters quiet, and walked off after 20 overs feeling satisfied. Their bowlers had done the job. Their batters could not repay.