Davangere stifle Provident to prevail by four runs

After messing up their chase a day earlier, Shamanoor Davangere Diamonds held their nerve in a close finish to beat Bangalore Provident (Rural) by four runs in Bangalore.

Chasing a target of 117, Provident were in control at 88 for 3 after 16 overs. However, the Davangere spinners kept things tight and the pressure showed on Provident as they lost five wickets to end up on 112 for 8. Offspinner Sunil Raju picked up 2 for 12 in four overs and was named Player-of-the-Match. Three run-outs didn't help Provident either.

Their bowlers had earlier restricted Davangere to 116 for 6. Medium-pacer Abhishek Jagan and leftarm spinner Anand Katti took two wickets each while Yere Goud top-scored for Davangere with 30 off 31 deliveries.

In another match-winning performance by a spinner, Balachandra Naveen's 4 for 20 helped Belagavi Panthers defeat Bangalore Brigadiers (Urban) by the narrowest margin of one run in Bangalore.

Naveen, along with Stalin Hoover and Srinivasa Dhananjaya, had earlier helped Belagavi recover to 131 for 8 after they were in trouble at 55 for 6. Offspinner M Vinod picked up 2 for 19 in two overs.

Vinod later kept Brigadiers in the chase after they had collapsed to 89 for 7, hitting three sixes in his 15-ball 29. However, after his dismissal in the 19th over, the other batsmen could get only 16 of the 18 needed for victory.