Sharjah. Krishna Chandran, also known as Krishna Karate, who became a talking point during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup due to his distinctive surname and earned the nickname Karate Kid, struck a scintillating unbeaten 96 to help CSS Group register their second victory in the 49th Bukhatir League, sponsored by Seven Districts, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Chasing Macwise Titans’ total of 276 for 9 in 50 overs, CSS Group won in 44.3 overs thanks to Chandran’s blazing knock, which came off just 79 balls and included 14 boundaries. Chandran, who last played for the UAE in 2016 and has won several Player of the Match awards in this league, proved he is in supreme form. He shared an unbroken 101-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Rojit KG, who remained unbeaten on 44 off 31 balls, hitting two boundaries and two sixes.
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Macwise Titans, after being asked to bat first, posted a competitive total largely due to Syed Makhdoom’s unbeaten run-a-ball 120, featuring nine boundaries and four sixes. Opener Aryansh Sharma also contributed with 54 runs off 58 balls, hitting seven boundaries and a six. Nipun Babu bowled a crucial three-wicket spell for 57 runs, supported by Haidar Razzaq (2 for 53), to slow down the Titans’ innings.
Titans’ openers Vaibhav Vaswani and Sharma gave their team a brisk start, putting on 38 runs in 5.1 overs before skipper Renjith Mani caught Vaswani off Razzaq for 18. Vaswani had already struck four boundaries and was timing the ball well before his dismissal. UAE’s young run-getter and captain Vriitya Aravind joined Sharma and took the score to 65 in 10.3 overs. Nipun then struck twice, clean bowling Aravind for 9 and dismissing Sahil Hariani with the very next delivery.
Syed Makhdoom then walked in and began stroking the ball freely. He hit Nipun for a six, while Sharma took on Mohammed Umar for a boundary and a six in the 16th over. In the 21st over, Shubham Singh Sisodiya dismissed Sharma with a return catch for 54, ending a 47-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Raunak Vaswani, the next batter, hit Sisodiya for two consecutive boundaries in the 25th over. At the halfway mark, Titans were 134 for 4.
Razzaq trapped Raunak Vaswani leg-before for 16 in the 28th over after Titans had crossed the 150-run mark. Makhdoom reached his half-century off 59 balls. A sharp throw from Rojit KG ran out Adithya Shetty for 6. By the 40th over, Makhdoom had moved into the 80s, picking the right deliveries to attack. Nipun clean bowled Sanchit Sharma for 13 after the score had crossed 200.
Makhdoom brought up his century in 109 balls, hitting Razzaq for a boundary. Umar then had Saneen Latheef caught by Mani for 22. Rahul Bhatia, who joined Makhdoom, smashed Razzaq for a six. Makhdoom capped his innings with two consecutive boundaries off Umar to remain unbeaten on 120, while Bhatia was run out by a throw from Nipun for 6.
The strength of the CSS Group has been their strong starts, and this match was no exception. Openers Abhiram Hrithwik and Mani put on 69 runs in 11 overs. UAE pacer Sanchit Sharma began with a maiden first over, but Mani responded by hitting the first ball of George’s second over for a boundary. Hrithwik followed with two consecutive boundaries off Sharma in the third over. When Mani also took on George for two consecutive boundaries, the runs began to flow steadily. Hrithwik even struck Angad Nehru for a six.
Rahul Bhatia broke the partnership, dismissing Mani—caught by Vriitya Aravind—for 40. Mani’s 37-ball knock included seven boundaries. Hrithwik fell just six runs short of a half-century when he was caught and bowled by Adithya Shetty. His 55-ball innings included five boundaries and two sixes. Krishna Chandran began cautiously, playing out 10 balls before hitting his first boundary off Makhdoom. Meanwhile, Makhdoom dismissed Albin Alias, caught by Sharma for 26. Safeer Tariq did not last long, scoring just 7 off 11 balls before falling to Shetty.
Though Vishnu Raj was run out by Bhatia for 13 and Danish Sarhadi was bowled by Raunak Vaswani for 1, Chandran found a solid partner in Rojit KG. Chandran reached his half-century in 45 balls with a boundary off Vaswani. Their partnership grew stronger with each over. Rojit took on George with two sixes in the 44th over, and Chandran sealed the win by hitting the winning boundary off Makhdoom to remain unbeaten on 96. Rojit stayed not out on 44, as CSS Group chased down the target in 44.3 overs, showcasing the team’s impressive batting depth.
Brief scores:
CSS Group bt Macwise Titans by 4 wkts. Macwise Titans 276 for 9 in 50 overs (Aryansh Sharma 54, Syed Makhdoom 120n.o, Saneen Latheef 22, Haidar Razzaq 2 for 53, Nipun Babu 3 for 57) CSS Group 280 for 6 in 44.3 overs (Abhiram Hrithwik 44, Renjith Mani 40, Albin Alias 26, Krishna Chandran 96n.o, Rojith KG 44n.o, Adithya Shetty 2 for 49)
Player of the Match: Krishna Chandran
