Shreyas Iyer''s Falcons beat Suryakumar Yadav''s Knights by 4 wickets

Mumbai, Jun 6 (PTI) In a marquee showdown between India's white-ball stars, Shreyas Iyer's SoBo Mumbai Falcons edged out Suryakumar Yadav's Triumphs Knights Mumbai North East by four wickets in a tense T20 Mumbai League match here on Friday.

Put in to bat, the Knights struggled on a pitch offering seam movement, managing 145/5. The Falcons completed the chase with four balls to spare.

After a shaky start and Suryakumar's early dismissal for 1 by Kartik Mishra, opener Siddhant Adhatrao held firm with a gritty half-century. He shared a 46-run stand with Suryansh Shedge before falling to Nikhil Giri.

Suryansh (49 off 21) and Makarand Patil (13) provided a late flourish, stitching an unbeaten 33-run partnership in the final overs.

The Falcons' reply began on a shaky note with Hitesh Kadam removing Ishan Mulchandani and Shreyanssh Rai off successive balls. But Iyer (13) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi steadied the innings with a 54-run stand before the former was trapped LBW by Parikshit Valsangkar.

Vinayak Bhoir (33) and Akash Parkar (30) then took control with a 56-run partnership that brought the Falcons within striking distance. Though Bhoir perished while accelerating, Parkar and Kush Kariya held their nerve to see the Falcons home at Wankhede Stadium.

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Bandra Blasters pip Aakash Tigers by 1 run ================================.

Bandra Blasters clinched a thrilling one-run win over Aakash Tigers in the day's opening match at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai..

Led by a sharp spell from pacer Dhanit Raut (4/29), the Blasters overcame a gritty chase anchored by veteran opener Jay Bista's half-century.

Chasing a modest 154, Aakash Tigers were rocked early, losing their top four for just 20 runs. However, opener Bista staged a spirited fightback with a brisk 48-ball 55, featuring four fours and two sixes, to revive hopes.

But once Dhanit Raut dismissed the in-form batter, the Tigers struggled to keep up with the required rate and eventually fell short, finishing at 152/8.

Put in to bat, Bandra Blasters recovered from a poor start to post 153. Om Keshkamat anchored the innings with 40, while Dhrumil Matkar chipped in 33. For the Tigers, left-arm spinner Shams Mulani was the standout performer, picking up 3/12 in a tidy spell. PTI AH AH KHS