Race to the
Super 7

Haryana Hurricanes began with fireworks and then spent most of the morning trying to find the light switch. Ramesh Sarepalli tore into Shiva Perumalsamy’s opening over for three fours, making the first 15 feel like a warning rather than a score. Hemant Joshi and Ankur Sah answered with early control and wickets, while Sudersan Jayanthi Sridharan and Sunny Behera squeezed the air out of the powerplay; Sunny’s first spell cost only two. Ramesh’s 21 off 11 was the bright flash before the Hurricanes slipped to 43/4. ⚡

Harish Jain and Parth Shirolawala kept the innings breathing through the middle, but the Hurricanes never found a second gear. Shiva returned to take 2/2 in over 13, Sudersan struck twice in his next spell, and the stretch from overs 13 to 15 yielded just seven runs for two wickets. Nikhil Kothari and Parth stitched together enough late resistance to keep the total respectable, with Parth adding nine at the finish. Ankur Sah’s over 18 briefly gave Haryana a pulse, but they closed on 114/9 — a target that looked tidy, dangerous and just a little too tempting. 🧊

Austin’s chase began with immediate inconvenience: Aditya Gulkotwar removed Manish L, and in over 4 Vinod Yadav went for ten as Shiva Perumalsamy counterpunched with 16 off 12. Prithvi Aare supplied the early lift, but Harish Jain then produced the spell that made the Hurricanes believe: 3/15, including a two-wicket over that left Austin wobbling at 65/6. By over 6, Sagar Mehla had added a miserly 1/5, while Vinod’s return brought another wicket without conceding a run. Suddenly the required rate had stopped being background noise and started asking personal questions. 😬

Kamaljeet Dagar answered first, cracking four boundaries in an 18-run contribution before stepping aside, and Sohail Mohammed turned the chase on its head with 26 off 16, including three sixes. Chinmay K’s three-over spell and Aditya’s return kept Haryana in the contest, but over 15 belonged to Sohail, who took Nalin Nimavat for two sixes — the sort of over that makes everyone on the boundary briefly forget the score. Kamaljeet came back, was caught for three, and left Austin needing five from 22 with one wicket left. Prithvi Aare returned with a four, Parth Shirolawala claimed the last breakthrough for Haryana, and the finish became gloriously untidy. 🫣

In the end, Austin Super Kings squeezed home at 115/9 in 16.4 overs, winning by one wicket and ensuring nobody could leave early with a straight face. Shiva Perumalsamy was the deserved Man of the Match for 16 off 12 and 2/21 in three overs — impact in both innings, and the sort of Saturday performance that earns a group-chat replay. Harish had the Hurricanes’ best bowling day, Sudersan’s 3/16 had earlier made 114 feel like a mountain, and Sohail supplied the chase’s biggest punch. Austin got over it anyway. 🎉⚡