Trivandrum Royals overcame a sloppy fielding display and a counter attacking innings from Sachin Baby to score a 14-run win over Alleppey Ripples, and continue its mid-tournament resurgence with a fourth straight win, in the Kerala Cricket League at the Sports Hub Greenfield stadium on Monday.
Nair at point off N.P. Basil. Ripples were in the hunt when Baby, who was dropped on 35, and K.A. Arun allied for a 98-run third wicket stand. But the chase was scuppered when the former was caught at long-on by Krishna Prasad off medium pacer Nikhil for 91 (49b, 8×4, 5×6). Arun (37), who was dropped twice, fell to a diving catch by Abhishek P. The mounting run-rate proved to be tough for the Ripples’ lower order as Basil bowled a tidy second spell to finish with four for 32.
Earlier, opener Abhishek (57, 30b, 5×4, 2×6) ran into form and helped Royals overcome a slow start. Govind Dev Pai (82 not out, 50b, 6×4, 5×6) chose his attacking moments sensibly to play a well paced innings as Royals seized control of the middle overs. The duo added 85 runs for the second wicket before Sibin Girish took three wickets to check Royals’ progress. But Sijomon Joseph infused the much-needed momentum with a quickfire, unbeaten 31 (13b, 4×6) to help Royals add 63 runs from the last four overs. The scores: Trivandrum Royals 194/4 in 20 overs (Abhishek P. Nair 57, Govind Dev Pai 82 n.o., Sijomon Joseph 31 n.o., Sibin Girish 3/37) bt Alleppey Ripples 180/6 in 20 overs (Sachin Baby 91, K.A. Arun 37, N.P. Basil 4/32).