Legends League Cricket: Pathan brothers explode as Bhilwara Kings beat Gujarat Giants to qualify for playoffs

After
Gayle’s
hurricane
68
off
40
balls
had
helped
the
Gujarat
Giants
post
186/7
in
20
overs,
Yusuf
and
Irfan
played
aggressive
knocks
to
help
the
Bhilwara
Kings
chase
down
the
target
and
win
the
game
by
five
wickets.

The
Kings
had
a
moderately
good
start
as
their
openers
put
on
57
runs.
But
after
Morne
van
Wyk’s
dismissal,
their
scoring
rate
dipped.

The
Kings
lost
set
batter
William
Porterfield
(40
off
37
balls)
in
the
12th
over
making
things
difficult
for
themselves.
But
then
began
the
Yusuf
storm.
With
four
gigantic
sixes
and
a
four,
Yusuf
made
39
off
18
balls
before
he
was
out
in
the
16th
over.

Irfan
then
took
over
the
baton
from
his
brother.
The
Kings
captain,
along
with
Jesal
Karia
(39
not
out
off
24
balls),
ensured
that
they
reached
home
with
two
balls
to
spare.
Irfan
stayed
unbeaten
on
26
off
14
balls.

Earlier,
the
Giants
went
for
an
all-Caribbean
opening
combination
as
Lendl
Simmons
opened
the
innings
along
with
Gayle.

After
Simmons’ dismissal
for
22
in
the
fifth
over,
the
Giants
had
the
worst
possible
finish
to
their
Powerplay
as
they
lost
two
wickets
–
captain
Parthiv
Patel
and
Kevin
O’Brien
–
in
the
very
next
over.
Yusuf
was
the
man
who
inflicted
the
damage
on
the
Giants.

Yusuf,
however,
got
a
reality
check
soon
after.
While
one
expected
the
Giants
to
be
on
the
backfoot
following
those
wickets,
Gayle,
a
stalwart
of
the
shortest
format
of
the
game,
was
in
no
mood
to
spend
a
quiet
night
in
Jodhpur.
In
the
eighth
over
of
the
innings,
he
hit
Yusuf
for
three
fours
and
two
sixes,
his
fifty
coming
up
in
23
balls.

Yashpal
Singh
(58
off
37
balls)
too
got
a
fifty
to
help
the
Giants
get
a
formidable
total.
In
the
end,
though,
it
proved
insufficient.

How
it
stands

After
Friday’s
match,
India
Capitals
and
Bhilwara
Kings
confirmed
their
places
in
the
playoffs
with
7
points
each.
Only
three
teams
will
be
moving
ahead
with
the
fourth
being
eliminated
straightaway.

The
battle
for
the
third
playoffs
place
is
between
the
Gujarat
Giants
and
Manipal
Tigers.
If
the
Tigers,
who
are
currently
on
3
points,
lose
their
last
league
phase
game
against
India
Capitals
on
Saturday,
the
Giants
with
5
points
will
finish
third
and
make
the
playoffs.

But
if
the
Tigers
win,
they
too
will
be
on
5
points,
the
same
as
the
Giants,
and
so
it
will
all
come
down
to
the
net
run
rate.
As
on
Friday,
the
Giants
had
a
net
run
rate
-0.366
while
the
Tigers
were
poorer
with
-0.607.

(LLC)