The fate of both new teams hanged in the balance on the final day of the league stages of T20 Mumbai Season 2, with both Eagle Thane Strikers and Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs needing wins in their respective fixtures to stand a chance to qualify for the semi-final. While both teams recorded victories in their respective matches, the match-winners for either side played two very different knocks by adapting to the unique circumstances that their teams found themselves in.

Here’s a look at the performances of the two match-winners on Day 10:

Prabhu powers the Eagles past the Blasters

After they restricted the Bandra Blasters to 148, the Strikers were tasked with the chasing that total down in 12 overs or under to finish with a better net run rate than the Triumph Knights and elevate themselves to second place in Group A.

Their chase got off to a rocky start after opener Jaideep Pardeshi perished in the first over and star batsman Alpesh Ramjani departing in the fifth. In walked all-rounder Rakesh Prabhu at #4 and after biding his team for 10 deliveries, he unleashed on the Blasters’ bowling unit and conjured one of the best knocks of the season.

Prabhu smashed three successive sixes in back-to-back overs in a spell where he smashed 38 off eight deliveries to get his team close to the target. With nine needed to win the game, Prabhu smashed the first boundary of his inning and followed it up with his eighth six to get the team home in just 11.2 overs in what was an exhibition of batting that is seldom witnessed anywhere across the world.                                                                                                             

Thakkar’s gritty knock takes the Tigers through

Making his Season 2 debut for the Aakash Tigers in this must-sswin fixture against the Shivaji Park Lions, the opening batsman showed great composure to carry his team through to an empathic victory and make the cut for the semi-finals. Chasing a modest target of 128, he initially curbed his attacking instincts to build an innings and play the ball on merit.

With his team in a spot of bother at 42/3 after seven and a half overs, Thakkar showed great character and determination to pick the Tigers out of a spot of bother. Despite the track favouring the spinners, the opener played his shots against Raunaq Sharma and Vijay Gohil to ensure the Tigers were always in command of the chase. He ended the game at 65* with eight fours and a six, building a match-winning partnership of 89 runs with Shams Mulani to see his side through to the semi-finals.