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Murtaza Trunkwala (Source: Maharashtra Premier League)

Puneri Bappa and Ratnagiri Jets took on each other in the third match of the at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday, June 6. The match not just had a delayed start, but was also reduced to eight overs a side due to the rain interruption, which ultimately witnessed Bappa beating Jets by eight wickets.

Due to a fair amount of rain and time needed to clear the ground, the match had to be reduced to less than 10 overs per side. Ratnagiri Jets won the toss and elected to bat first on a damp surface, a decision which they regretted later. Nikit Dhumal made good use of the damp surface and bowled a good spell with the new ball.

The emerging bowler took the wickets of Preetam Patil and skipper Azim Kazi. Roshan Waghsare from the other end dismissed Dhiraj Phatangare, which meant Jets were reduced to 21/3 after 4.2 overs. Abhishek Pawar, at 7(9), was retired out for failing to get going.

The Jets desperately needed a good finish to stay alive in the game. Nikhil Naik provided exactly that. The star batter scored 31 runs in 13 balls, which included a four and three sixes. Divyang Hinganekar's timely cameo helped the Jets to post 69/5 in their eight overs. While Sachin Bhosale went for runs from his end, Bappa bowled well as a unit and contained the Jets to a chaseable total.

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There was little to no challenge for Bappa in their run chase, as the target was not too hard and the batters had no pressure to score at a very high rate. The required run rate was under nine and manageable. Additionally, Bappa's openers fired from the word go and ensured the Jets were out of the game in an instant.

Yash Nahar and Murtaza Trunkwala went after the bowlers and posted a partnership of 51 runs for the first wicket. While Nahar scored 18(12) and perished, Trunkwala played a match-defining knock and scored 32(20), which included two fours and sixes each. In Kunal Thorat's single over, the duo collectively scored 20 runs, which killed the Jets' chances in the run chase.

For the Jets, Vijay Pawale claimed wickets of both the openers. However, it was a bit too late, as both of them came when the duo had already done their job. Sahil Autade and wicketkeeper-batter Suraj Shinde guided their team to a win by eight wickets with seven balls to spare. 

With a massive win, Bappa climbed to the top of the points table with a positive net run rate of +1.765. Ratnagiri suffered their second consecutive loss of the season and remained in the fifth position in the table, with a negative net run rate of -1.177, just ahead of Satara Warriors.

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