Staff Reporter
Margao
VMCL Blasters held their nerve to edge out VMCL Kings by 7 runs in a thrilling Season 3 clash of the Ferdinand Coelho Memorial VMCL under the floodlights at MCC Ground on Wednesday.
Batting first, the Blasters posted a competitive 144/9 in 20 overs. Opener Balkrishna Hodarkar set the tone with 36 off 30 balls, while skipper Uday Naik anchored the innings with a brisk 38 off 28, hitting six boundaries. Viraj Amonkar added an unbeaten 16 to help push the total. Apurva Bhembre and Yogesh Naik claimed two wickets each, while Vipul picked up one.
Chasing 145, the Kings began aggressively with Bhembre smashing 35 off just 15 balls, including three fours and three sixes. Rohit Mishra chipped in with 31 off 36, as the pair added 41 for the first wicket. But the middle order faltered, with cameos from Ashish Dukle (15), Venkatesh Desai (12), and Ambe Parvatkar (11) falling short as the Kings were bowled out for 137 in 18.5 overs.