With an aggregate of over 7000 runs scored in 23 matches, T20 Mumbai Season 2 was a run-fest from start to finish and featured some excellent showmanship with the willow from the city’s best batting talents over the course of two weeks.

While the league saw it’s first-ever ton this season, it was also laced with a host of many more outstanding knocks, some of which deserve a special mention. Here are our picks for the top 5 knocks from the season gone by.

• Jay Bista – 110(60)

In their semi-final against Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs, the SoBo SuperSonics turned a few heads by electing to bat first considering that the chasing team had emerged victorious in each of the previous three matches. However, it was, evidently, a well-thought out plan as skipper Jay Bista smashed the first ever century in T20 Mumbai history, helping his team pile up 217, the highest team total for the season.

The flamboyant opener smashed nine boundaries and five sixes en route to scoring 110 in just 60 deliveries.

• Parag Khanapurkar – 96(49)

With the team reeling at 33/2 after five overs against the ARCS Andheri, the SoBo SuperSonics needed one of their batsmen to carry the brunt of the inning and help the team post a respectable total. Up stepped all-rounder Parag Khanapurkar and scored a power-packed 96 runs in just 49 balls before being run out in the final over just four short of a well-deserved ton.

Khanapurkar completed his half-century in 31 deliveries and proceeded to smash a further 43 runs in 18 deliveries which included two sixes and five boundaries, propelling the SuperSonics to a match-winning total of 188/5. 

• Hersh Tank – 93(51)

While partner Jay Bista took all the plaudits, deservedly, for his ton, opener Hersh Tank also batted spectacularly in the SuperSonics’ semifinal victory over the Tigers, scoring 93 off 51 before a mix-up ended his inning in the 18^th over.

Tank played the role of the aggressor in the first half of the inning reaching his 50 in just 31 deliveries in the 10^th over before carrying on in the same vein for the rest of his stay out in the centre.      

• Suryakumar Yadav – 90(56)*

In the very first match of the season, defending champions Triumph Knights Mumbai North East found themselves in trouble at 25/2 when captain Suryakumar Yadav walked out to the center. The skipper batted with caution, scoring just 35 off the first 34 balls that he faced before accelerating in the 15^th and completing his 50 in 43 deliveries.

Batting on 62, Surya smashed four sixes and a boundary in the final over to get his team to 147/5 at the end of 20 overs and remained unbeaten on 90.

• Shivam Dubey – 87(46)*

Chasing 153 against the NaMo Bandra Blasters, the Shivaji Park Lions were off to a disastrous start, losing three wickets with just 12 on the board at end of five overs in what was a must-win game for Season 1’s runners-up.

Owing to those early blows, all-rounder Shivam Dube curbed his natural attacking style and played a contained knock, putting away any loose deliveries on offer, scoring 34 off the first 25 balls that he faced. But with wickets tumbling at the other end and overs running out, Dubey decided to go all guns blazing and smashed three sixes in the next five deliveries that he faced to complete his 50 and breathe new life into his team’s inning. He continued to take the attack to the opposition, smashing 20 off the next eight balls that he faced, leaving 18 to get off the final over of the contest.

Dube faced the entire over and got his team within a whisker of the target and with five needed off the final ball, the southpaw pulled a short delivery as hard as he could but couldn’t the right connection on the ball, as the Lions fell just short on the night. Irrespective of the result. The 25-year-old’s inning was sensational and was one of the best efforts with the bat in Season 2.