Manjunath, Naidu shine for Bangalore Provident
A round-up of the first day of the Karnataka Premier League
Cricinfo staff
09-Sep-2009
Bangalore Provident (Rural) eased to a 36-run win over Mangalore United in the opening game of the inaugural Karnataka Premier League at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Bangalore Provident opted to bat and made the most of the opportunity, building a substantial score of 192 which proved more than adequate in the end. The innings was set up by a blistering opening stand of 168 between Maniunath Manjunath (92) and Thilak Naidu (74). Left-arm seamer Sreenath Aravind dismissed both batsmen but conceded 43 in his four overs.
In response, Mangalore faltered from the outset, losing their first three wickets for 16. Medium-pacer Neravanda Aiyappa (3 for 20) accounted for two of those wickets. Rongsen Jonathan (63) and SN Amit (33) then put together a stand of 82 but Mangalore had been virtually shut out by the time their effort was complete. Both fell within a space of 12 runs and their team batted out the remaining overs to finish with 156.
Bangalore Brigadiers (Urban) had to do little to get past Belagavi Panthers in their opening game of the KPL. M Vinod starred in an all-round effort, taking four wickets and making an unbeaten 36 to see his team home by seven wickets.
Bangalore Brigadiers justified their decision to field by bowling out Belagavi Panthers for a paltry 92. The start for the Panthers was encouraging as the openers added a run-a-ball 15 but once they fell, a collapse ensued. Only four batsmen reached double-figures, as the Brigadiers kept taking wickets on a frequent basis. Vinod (4-16) was supported by left-arm spinner Narayanan Vinu Prasad (2-11) and the other bowlers chipped in to take the last eight wickets for 47.
In their reply, the Brigadiers suffered an early setback, losing Robin Uthappa, fresh from a century in the BCCI Corporate Trophy final, for a duck. But the Panthers had too few runs on the board, and Vinod, along with wicketkeeper Lokesh Rahul (29) saw to it that victory was achieved without too many hiccups.
The tournament runs for two weeks, culminating with the final on September 23.