Panaji: Retro Strikers beat a severely-depleted Baale Tigers by six wickets in the final league-stage match of Zooter Goa Super League at Panjim Gymkhana on Saturday evening.
Missing five of their regulars including the most expensive player of the league Sayed Badi, Baale Tigers posted a moderate total of 135/9 after electing to bat first. Six of their batters got into double digits with Dhilan Shah and Sahil Adwalpalkar scoring 21 runs each. Ashwin Chandiok and Sunil Rathod contributed 19 runs apiece while Samir Sawant (17) and Iftikhar Agha (13) also provided handy runs for their team.
All-rounder Ninad Pawaskar, who had missed earlier games for Retro Strikers, first emerged the chief wicket-taker with 3/12 before seizing the initiative with the bat for his team with 34 runs off 14 balls (5×4, 2×6) and was named the man of the match. Among other bowlers to bag wickets for Strikers were – Amlon Dsouza (3/19), Sunny Kamat (2/10) and Balkrishna Hodarkar (1/25).
In reply, Strikers came out flying off the blocks with Ninad going after the bowlers. They raced to 50 in the fourth over and 100 in the eighth over, thereby setting the path for victory as well as lifting their net run-rate to third position in the table and avoid top-placed Estilo Legends in tomorrow’s semi-finals. Pranav Biche dished out a fiery knock as he led the charge after Ninad was out. In his 11 balls stay at the crease, Pranav stroked five boundaries and two sixers to score 36 runs. Sunny Kamat contributed 28 runs off 21 balls as Retro Strikers romped to victory, making 136/4 in 12.2 overs.
Baale’s Kiran Shirvoikar, Dhilan Shah and Kalpesh Salgaonkar took one wicket each.
Retro Strikers will play Naroo Panthers in the second semi-final tomorrow.