KPL: Mohammed Taha's belter sees Bijapur Bulls topple Hubli Tigers

Mysuru: Bijapur Bulls won their second consecutive game in the Karnataka Premier League on Sunday, seeing off table-toppers Hubli Tigers by four wickets at the S.D.N.R Wadiyar ground in Mysuru. Mohammed Taha was the star of the show, his show-stopping 45-ball 83 ensuring Bijapur didn’t feel the effects of Abhishek Sakuja’s excellent returns of 4 for 21.

Taha’s efforts ensured that Hubli’s 159 for 8 was toppled in 18.4 overs. The win snapped Hubli’s unbeaten run in the tournament.

Taha was at his free-scoring best even as Sakuja, the left-arm spinner, ran through the rest of the Bijapur top-order. The wickets meant Bijapur’s chase got off to a difficult start, with Sakuja sending back Bharath Chipli, Dikshanshu Negi (2) and Naveen MG (12) to reduce Bijapur to 37 for 3. 

All the while, Taha just kept pummelling the ball. His intentions were made clear in the very first over as he picked 15 runs off Vinay Kumar. He brought up his half-century off just 27 balls, but that didn’t slow down. 

By the 15-over mark, Taha had hammered his ninth six. However, with the need of the hour being composure, Taha holed out off Sakuja, the bowler claiming his fourth wicket. 

However, AM Kiran, the new man, showed no sign of jitters. M Nidhish (29 off 33) and Kiran looked to finish things off quickly, as Bijapur crossed the line without any jitters.

Brief scores: Hubli Tigers: 159/8 in 20 overs (Mayank Agarwal 33, K Siddharth 34; Ronit More 2/37, MG Naveen 2/13) lt to Bijapur Bulls: 162/6 in 18.4 overs (Mohammed Taha 83, M Nidhish 29; Abhishek Sakuja 4/21) by four wickets.