MUSCAT: The Ruwi Rangers beat the Qurum Thunders by 9 runs in Game 1 of the D10’s Super League stage at the Oman Cricket Academy on March 21, 2022. 

The first innings was a tale of two partnerships. Put to bat first after losing the toss, openers  Hannan Rizwan and Shafqat Ullah erected a 54-run stand to take early control of the tie. Then came an explosive 68-run partnership between Khalid Kail and Mohammed Usmani that propelled the Rangers to a first innings score of 134/4. Shoaib Khan was the pick of the  Thunders’ bowlers, ending the day with figures of 2/15. 

In response, the Thunders came close but despite double-figure contributions from 6  batsmen, were eventually bundled out for 125. Kashyapkumar Prajapati led the scoring with a 12-ball 24. Jitenkumar Ramanandi and Mohitdhirubhai Patel picked up 2 wickets apiece for the Rangers. 

In the second game of the day, the Amerat Royals beat the Bousher Busters by 7 wickets. 

After electing to bat first, the Busters could only manage 81/9 after 10 overs. Abdul Rauf Atta  Ullha continued his rich vein of form with a well-made 36 but received next to no support from the other end. For the Royals, the bowling duo of Mehran Khan and Rafi Ullah was unplayable. The former picked up a staggering 5 wickets in his 2 overs. Rafi claimed 3 of his own.  

The Royals made light work of the run-chase, thanks to an unbeaten 33-run knock from Karan  Sonavale. Akshay Kumar Patel and Mehran Khan were the other batters with sizable contributions. 

The day got worse for the Bousher Busters, as the Qurum Thunders handed them a 25-run  defeat in the next game. 

Batting first after losing the toss, the Thunders posted a first-innings total of 104/5, powered by a 64-run opening partnership between Jatinder Singh and Suraj Kumar. Fawad Ali shone brightly for the Busters with the ball, picking up three crucial wickets in his 2 over spell. 

The second innings saw the side from Bousher bow out of the tournament after making 79/3  in their 10 overs. Abdul Rauf Atta Ullah, Mahmood Sufyan and Shubo Pal all looked in good nick but were unable to provide the firepower needed to take their side over the line. 

In the final game of the day, the Ruwi Rangers were victorious once again. They beat the  Amerat Royals by 1 wicket in a closely contested high-scoring affair to book their spot in the final.

Batting first after winning the toss, the Royals saw four of their top 5 cross the 20-run mark.  Akshay Kumar Patel and Karan Sonavale steadied the ship after Pratik Athavale’s early dismissal and the imperious duo of Rafi Ullah and Vinayak Shukla provided the late-innings impetus that saw their side finish on 129/5 after 10 overs. Hassnain Ali was the Rangers’ top performer with the ball in hand, picking up 3 wickets for 17 runs. 

However, the Rangers put their strength in depth on full display and chased the target down with 2 balls to spare. Wasim Ali, Mohammad Usmani and Jitenkumar Ramanandi were the architects in chief for their victory. Hannan Rizwan and Khalid Kail chipped in with valuable scores too. For the Royals, Bilal Khan, Hemalkumar Tandel, Mehran Khan and Manish Rawat  all picked up 2 wickets each. 

BRIEF SCORES: 

Ruwi Rangers 134/4 in 10 overs (Khalid Kail 43(19) 6 x 4, 2 x 6 Shafqat Ullah 32(15) 2 x 4, 2 x  6 ; Shoaib Khan 15/2) beat Qurum Thunders 125/10 in 10 overs (Kashyap Prajapati 24(12) 1 x  4, 2 x 6 ; Jitenkumar Ramanandi 29/2) by 9 runs 

Bousher Busters 81/9 in 10 overs (Abdul Rauf Atta Ullah 36(22) 2 x 4, 3 x 6 ; Mehran Khan  13/5 Rafi Ullah 9/3) lost to Amerat Royals 82/3 in 8.3 overs (Karan Sonawale 33(19) 2 x 4, 2 x  6 ; Mahmood Sufyan 10/1) by 7 wickets 

Qurum Thunders 104/5 in 10 overs (Jatinder Singh 40(18) 3 x 4, 3 x 6 Suraj Kumar Singh 28(21)  3 x 4, 1 x 6 ; Fawad Ali 24/3) beat Bousher Busters 79/3 in 10 overs (Abdul Rauf Atta Ullah  30(20) 6 x 4 ; Chonira Aiyappa 13/1) by 25 runs 

Amerat Royals 129/5 in 10 overs (Karan Sonawale 34(21) 3 x 4, 2 x 6 Vinayak Shukla 30(12) 3  x 4, 2 x 6 ; Hassnain Ali 17/3) lost to Ruwi Rangers 130/9 in 9.4 overs (Wasim Ali 32(14) 3 x 4,  2 x 6 ; Muhammed Usmani 29(9) 2 x 4, 3 x 6 ; Bilal Khan 21/2) by 1 wicket